Adventures In Babysitting
by Countess Jackman
Summary: Lois asks Clark to watch Jason while she and Richard attend a gala. While the parents, at least one anyway, are away, the child and superhero will play. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Clark sighed heavily as he rubbed his eyes. Even if he wasn't human, staring at the computer screen -- a blank computer screen --- could drive anyone into exhaustion. But, then again, he had also been awake for thirty six hours straight, no thanks to his boss and a little thing called saving the world. He let his glasses rest against his forehead for a few minutes while he sat with his face in his hand. Clark hadn't been this tired in a long time.

He wanted nothing more than to go back to the small, but comfortable apartment he called home, collapse onto his bed, and go to sleep. And then sleep like the biggest, strongest baby in the history. But he couldn't. No, he was stuck at the Daily Planet, working on an article that he got stuck with that he didn't even want to do. Most people would've objected, but him being Mild Mannered Clark Kent couldn't do it. Clark had a sneaking suspicion that was why Perry gave him the article in the first place.

Clark let out another deep breath before sitting up straight and letting his glasses slide down the bridge of his nose, where they came to a halt. He bent his head to push them up to eye level and, when he picked up his head, he jumped.

"Gee Lois!" Clark breathed, literally scared out of his wits. How come he hadn't heard her coming over? Even though he had tuned everything out, he always kept his ear open for Lois or his mother…and now, Jason.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, Clark." Lois said with a shaky laugh.

"It's okay. You just gave me a bit of a fright, is all." He replied as he adjusted his glasses. "So, what brings you over here?"

"Huh?" It was as though a light bulb switched on in her head and she nodded. "Right," She shuffled the papers in her hands and pulled out a file. "Perry wanted me to give these to you. He said to have it finished by the time you come in tomorrow morning."

Clark let his shoulders slump and he felt like banging his head on his desk, but he would probably end up shattering it into a million pieces. He looked at Lois wearily and nodded. "Thanks Lois."

Lois frowned. "Are you feeling okay, Clark? You've looked really sick for the past week."

Clark shrugged. "What can I say? After five years of not having to work and relaxing, coming back here is a bit overwhelming."

"You never did get a chance to tell me about your trip." Lois said. "I want to hear about it soon, okay?"

"I'm always around, Lois." Clark smiled, immediately wincing after the words left his lips. How could he be so stupid! This was Lois Lane he was talking to, and she had probably just figured it out from that….or did she? He looked at her only to see her looking like a deer in the headlights.

Her brown eyes were wide as she stared at Clark as though he had sprouted seven heads. She swallowed the lump in her throat at the sudden memory of the Man of Steel and licked her lips, her hands shaking unnecessarily. "W-W-What did you just say?"

Clark opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the sound of Richard and Jason coming into the bullpen with take out. He let out an inaudible sigh and thanked his lucky stars for his son and his impeccable timing.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Jason cried happily as he ran over to his mother and flung his small arms around her legs. "Guess what!"

Lois sent Clark a look that clearly told him their conversation wasn't over and she turned to Jason, smiling. She knelt down beside him. "What baby?"

"He got over his cold." Richard said, kissing Lois on the cheek as she stood back up. He looked at Clark and smiled. "Hello Clark."

"Oh, hello Richard." Clark greeted in a friendly tone. How could he not be nice to Richard? The man did save his life…whether he knew that or not.

Lois gasped as she beamed at Jason, kissing his cheek. "Good for you, baby, I knew you would get over it eventually." She peered up at Richard and sighed. "When'd this come about?"

"He just woke up this morning, complete feeling better." Richard answered. "I was quite surprised, but also relieved, because we have that gala to attend tonight."

Lois groaned as she smacked her forehead with her palm. "Goddamnit, I knew I was forgetting something."

"What's wrong?" Both Clark and Richard asked at the same time. The two men looked at each other and chuckled uneasily.

"Ummumumumum, Mommy said a bad word."

Clark bit back a laugh at Jason and smiled at his son, the boy's only response being that wide eyed stare that looked so remarkably like his own. Clark shifted uncomfortably underneath Jason's scrutiny, but the little boy smiled brightly in return and giggled.

"You're funny." Jason said.

Clark furrowed his eyebrow in confusion. "How am I funny?"

Jason shrugged. "You just are."

The older Kent laughed. "Funny looking, or just funny in general?" Jason looked up at the ceiling as though in thought, tapping his finger to his chin for dramatics. Clark shook his head at his son's behavior --- that was still so weird to him. He, Clark Kent, had a son --- as he waited for his response. "Well?"

"Both."

"Both?" Clark repeated dubiously. "Why is that?"

"I don't know." Jason said, taking a pen out of Clark's coffee cup full of them and beginning to draw on an unused notepad. "You just are." He giggled as he set about his drawing. Clark turned to find that Lois and Richard had moved into Richard's office. So, he used his superhearing to hear what they were saying.

"Lois, what's wrong?" Richard asked after he closed his door.

Lois sighed heavily as she sat down on the leather couch and slipped her shoes off. "I forgot to get a babysitter for tonight. I thought that Jason was going to be too sick for me to leave him and I was just going to stay home with him." She sighed as she pushed a hand in her hair. "What are we going to do, Richard? Who do we know that can babysit on such short notice?"

Richard licked his lips as he paced in front of Lois, trying to think of anyone who could watch Jason for them. He ticked off a list of names, but Lois shook her head to each one, giving a specific reason that Richard didn't quite understand. "Well, if you're going to shoot every single one of them down, then why don't you come up with someone, Lois?"

Lois rolled her eyes, her frustration mounting. It wasn't her fault that she had forgotten. She had so much work to do on top of all the crazy emotions shooting through her, she had a right to forget something as simple as hiring a babysitter. She was about to leave Richard's office to think when her eyes fell on Clark. He was sitting at his desk with Jason. The two were talking and laughing, Jason looking like he was enjoying himself. A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips at the sight. Clark would make a good father to a lucky woman.

Clark! That was it! He could do it! That was…if he was willing.

Richard looked at Lois and saw the mischievous glint in her eyes. "Oh no, what are you plotting now?" He asked as he followed her out of his office and over to where Clark and Jason were sitting.

"And then he said, orange you glad I didn't say banana!" Jason finished excitedly, grinning expectantly at Clark. As if on cue, Clark burst out into a fit of laughter, although Lois wasn't sure if he was feigning it.

"Oh, hey Lois. Richard." Clark nodded in greeting, straightening his glasses on his nose. "Did you find a sitter?"

Richard opened his mouth to say something, when Lois cut him off. "Actually, that's why we came over here."

"Oh? Really?"

"Yes." Lois nodded. "Clark, what are you doing tonight?"

* * *

A/N: I know that probably wasn't the most entertaining chapter, but I would really appreciate it if you guys reviewed. You know, give me some feed back and criticism if it's necessary. This will probably end up being a short fic, about five chapters long or so. Not entirely sure about the length. However, that's getting off track. Review and, maybe if I get a lot of them, I'll update sooner rather than later.


	2. Chapter 2

Clark sighed as he lowered himself onto the couch in his living room. He couldn't believe his luck. He had thanked his lucky stars ever few seconds for the coincidence. Lois needed a sitter and he was free. Now, not only did he score major points with Lois since he agreed to it on such short notice, but he also got to spend time with his favorite person on Earth, his son…well, beside Lois, that is.

He already had a few ideas of what they could do, but he wasn't sure that Jason would like them. Clark frowned. He didn't know anything that Jason liked to do other that put trash cans over his head, walking around like a robot, and slipping out of his mother's office when he wasn't supposed to. A feeling of guilt bubbled uncomfortably in his stomach. He hadn't been there for anything.

_But I can change that. I _want _to change that._

He turned on the television and flipped through the channels, glancing at his watch every few minutes to see what time it was. Lois said that she and Richard would be dropping Jason off at five thirty. Clark groaned; it was only four.

* * *

_An hour and a half later…_

* * *

Clark had been doing head nods in front of the television when a sharp knock on his front door shook him from his small nap. He leapt up from the couch faster than a bullet from a barrel. _Act casual, Clark. Act casual._ He knew he wasn't capable of doing that. He was just too damn excited about hanging out with his son.

"Coming!" Clark called out, grabbing his thick rimmed glasses off the side table and shoving them onto his nose. He took a deep steadying breath, reminding himself to act natural. He couldn't exactly answer the door and sweep Jason into a huge embrace. No, not only would that crush Jason to death, but it would be extremely odd.

Clark opened the door and smiled. "Hello." He greeted in his warm, cheery voice. Lois grinned at Clark and he couldn't believe how beautiful she looked in her form fitting, knee length black dress with her hair in big, loose curls, clipped back tenderly with a small pearl clip. He wanted to ravish her right there. But he couldn't and probably never would be able to ever again.

Lois opened her mouth to say something, but it was Jason who chirped, "Hiya, Mister Clark!"

"Hi Jason. Come on in, all three of you." Clark laughed as he opened the door wider and stepped back, allowing Lois, Jason, and Richard into his apartment.

Lois looked around Clark's apartment, surprised that he would actually have this nice of an apartment that was completely furnished. She scanned the walls and smiled at the picture of Clark with his parents. He looked so happy with them. She hadn't seen him that happy in ages…except when he was around Jason.

"Nice place you've got here, Clark." Richard said, slipping his hands into the pockets of his black dress slacks.

"Thank you."

Lois placed a hand on Jason's shoulder as she said, "Jason has been gushing about coming over here since we first told him that you were babysitting him. He couldn't stop talking about how much fun you two were going to have the whole way over here."

Jason smiled, not saying anything as he stared up at Clark with curious eyes. He swung his mother's hand back and forth and Clark smiled softly at him.

Lois glanced between her son and Clark, quirking a brow. Why did it seem that Clark and Jason were having a private conversation together with just their eyes? As if on cue, Clark looked at Lois and she bit back a gasp at how beautiful his eyes were. She had just realized it too. "Are you all right, Lois?" He asked in concern.

She nodded. "Yeah, I was just going over the list in my head and I forgot if Jason took his asthma medication." Lois peered down at her son. "Did you?"

Jason nodded proudly. "Yep. I took all my medicines. And, guess what Mister Clark!"

"What?" Clark said, his eyes dancing with amusement at the small boy's excitement.

"I did it all by myself!"

"That's fantastic!" Clark replied happily, smiling widely at his son.

"And you know what else?"

"What?"

"Mommy said that only big boys can to do, so that means I'm a big boy!" Jason giggled excitedly.

Lois and Richard laughed at Jason's excitement. "Geez Clark, you really know about to get my son wound up, don't you?" Richard commented easily.

Clark tensed up, though he was certain that they couldn't sense it. Jason was his son, not Richard's. _Richard's just as much of Jason's father as you are, Clark. Get over yourself._ Clark thanked his conscience inwardly.

"Do you think you can handle him?" Richard asked.

Clark nodded, beaming down at Jason. "I'm sure we'll manage." He replied with a wink. Jason giggled.

Richard glanced down at his watch and his eyes widened. "It's sixalready?" He said to no one. "Lois, we've got to go."

She frowned at her fiancée. "But, Richard, the gala doesn't start until seven."

"Yes, dear, I know this." Richard replied. "But we have to get all the way across town in traffic."

Lois's eyes widened at the thought of getting stuck in traffic and she sighed. "Sorry to leave so abruptly, Clark, but, as you can see, we have to." She opened her clutch and rummaged through it, pulling out a few pieces of notebook paper. "I wrote down all the things that Jason is allergic to and activities that he shouldn't do."

Clark and Richard's eyes met and they shared a laugh. Lois glared at them both, silencing them immediately as she handed the papers to Clark. With a sigh, she knelt down beside Jason, smoothing his hair as she said, "You're going to be a good boy, right? You're not going to cause any trouble for Clark?"

Jason shook his head. "Nope! No trouble at all, Mommy."

"Good," She smiled, smoothing out the invisible wrinkles on his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tee shirt. She kissed his forehead and gave him a tight hug. "Be sure to keep Clark out of trouble too, all right, Jason?"

Both Jason and Clark laughed as Jason gave a big bob of his head. "Okay Mommy." He hugged her back tightly. "I love you."

She clung to him tightly as she whispered, "I love you too, Jason." Lois pulled back, kissing his cheek once more. She glanced up at Clark from her crouch position and cleared her throat. "We'll come pick him up around midnight or so. That's not too late, is it?"

Clark shook his head as Richard helped Lois stand up, his arm snaking around her slender waist. His throat closed up for a second, knowing that he would never be able to do that, both as Clark and as Superman. Lois belonged to Richard White now, not Kal-El, and she would never belong to Clark Kent. He pushed his own feelings out his mind for the moment. "No, that's not too late at all. Have fun, you two."

Lois smiled. "We will, Clark." She promised, her eyes twinkling. "Thanks again."

"Not a problem." Clark responded as Jason peered out of the doorway behind Clark's leg, shouting, "Bye Mommy! Bye Daddy! I love you!"

A ping of hurt flooded through Clark. He would never get the pleasure of hearing Jason call him Daddy. By the time that Superman and Lois told Jason of his true parentage, he wouldn't want to call his father Daddy, but Dad or --- oh dear God, Father --- instead. Clark would never get to know what it truly felt like to be the world's coolest person ever in the eyes of his son. That alone hurt because, growing up, Clark always looked up to his adoptive father.

But just as quickly as the hurt came, it left, as Jason turned around and smiled widely at him. He grabbed Clark's hand after he pushed the door shut and dragged the Daily Planet reporter into the living room. He plopped down on the couch, bouncing up and down as though testing the cushions. "What are we going to do first, Mister Clark!"

Clark chuckled as he sat down on the coffee table across from Jason, shrugging. "First of all, you can call me Clark, not Mister Clark. And, second of all, I don't know, what do you want to do?"

"But I asked you first." Jason protested with pursed lips that reminded Clark so much of Lois. "What do you want to do?"

Clark shrugged, bending his head to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose, smiling as he said, "I don't know, what do you want to do?"

Jason's eyes sparkled with amusement as he caught onto Clark's game, giggling as he replied, "I don't know, what do you want to do?"

Their game continued for a few more minutes, though each time they said it to one another, it became more difficult, as they were both laughing. Clark didn't know why he was laughing so hard, as it normally wouldn't be funny, but he figured it was because he was happy with his son. Jason opened his mouth to say the line back to Clark when his stomach rumbling cut him off. He placed a hand over his stomach and smiled sheepishly at Clark, his cheeks burning red.

"Does dinner sound good to you?" Clark asked. Jason nodded. "Good, because I'm hungry too. What do you want to eat? Or better yet," He dug around in his pocket for the piece of paper that Lois had written everything he needed to know on. "What _can_ you eat?"

"I can eat peas!" Jason chirped, staring up at Clark admiringly.

Clark laughed as he skimmed over the list. Whoa, Jason was a lot more fragile than he originally thought his son to be. He folded up the piece of paper and sighed. "Well, it looks like peas is what's for dinner. Let me see if I have any."

Clark walked toward the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets when he heard a pair of sneakers and a chair scrap against the tile floor. He looked over his shoulder to see Jason climbing up on the seat of the chair and begin to look through the freezer. He laughed as he asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm helping you."

Clark smiled as he sighed in defeat. "I don't have any canned."

"You don't have any frozen either." Jason said dejectedly. He turned around to look at Clark and would've fallen backward had it not been for Clark catching him. Jason's eyes grew wide as he whispered, "Whoa." Clark set Jason down on the ground and pushed his glasses up his nose once more, pointedly avoiding eye contact with the little boy. Jason tugged on Clark's pant leg. "How'd you do that?"

Clark shrugged. "Good reflexes, I guess." Jason opened his mouth to say something when Clark cut him off, knowing that a change of subject would quiet him. "If I remember correctly, you like steamed peas and there's this good Chinese restraunt…."

"Can we go?" Jason questioned eagerly, tugging more forcefully on Clark's trousers. "Can we! Can we? Please, please, please!"

Clark laughed as he nodded. "We sure can. Just go get your jacket that your mommy left for you and we can go."

"Can we go to the park, too?" Jason squealed as he pulled on his jacket. "What about the mall? Or the aquarium? Or the museum!"

Clark held out his hand for Jason to take. The little boy slipped his small hand into Clark's much bigger one and his heart surged with joy. Jason continued to ask questions about places they could go as they left the apartment building.

* * *

A/N: Whoa guys, I didn't expect such a huge respond! This is by far the most reviews I have ever gotten for one chapter and I would be blown out of the water if you guys could repeat it, or top it! So please, leave a review. Constructive criticism is welcomed as always. Thanks again for being such good reviewers! And remember, the more reviews I get, the more motivated I'll be to get the next chapter up. Lol. Thanks once again! Ta!

Countess Jackman


	3. Chapter 3

_This chapter is dedicated to Captain Jack Sparrow for looking oh-so-sexy in his new movie and KD Skywalker, just because she's awesome!_

_

* * *

_

Clark chuckled as he and Jason walked down the street together, hand in hand. Whenever Jason would laugh, he would squeeze Clark's hand and looked up at him with twinkling, bright blue eyes. The laughter only made his eyes shine brighter and it tugged at Clark's heart. He had never heard a more beautiful sound that his son's laugh.

Jason had just told Clark a joke about a tomato and a banana that didn't make any sense whatsoever, which was what made it so hysterical. Clark was still completely baffled on how a little four year old could make him laugh so hard. Not even the best of comedians could reduce Clark to tears. He sighed softly as they neared the Chinese restraunt.

"Here it is." Clark announced as they stopped in front of the small building. The neon OPEN sigh was flashing colorfully and Jason stared at it intently for a few seconds, swinging his and Clark's linked hands back and forth. Clark's heart soared and he beamed down at Jason, a wide grin firmly in place.

"Cool!" Jason exclaimed finally once he looked the place over. He tugged on their joined hands and tried to pull Clark toward the door without much success. He sent Clark a searching look, his forehead creased with a quizzical frown. "Come on, Clark!"

Clark laughed as he gave into his son's demands, allowing himself to be pulled into the restraunt. Almost immediately, they were met by the overwhelming smell of steamed rice and sesame chicken. Jason pulled Clark over toward an empty booth and struggled to climb up onto the seat. Clark was about to help him when Jason shook his head and finally managed to scramble up onto the leather seat.

Clark sat down across from him and smiled at Jason, who shot back a toothy grin. A short, dark haired waitress came over to their table with a false smile set into place, although Clark could tell by her body language that she really didn't want to be there.

"Hi, my name is Sara and I'll be your waitress for this evening." She said as she looked Clark and Jason over. "Can I get you something to drink?" Sara asked as she handed Clark an adult menu and slid a kid's menu with some crayons toward Jason.

"Can I have some juice?" Jason asked Clark, sticking out his bottom lip in a pout. "Please?"

Clark opened his mouth to say something, when Sara let out an 'aw' and smiled at Clark. "I don't know, can you?"

Jason nodded. "If it's apple juice I can!"

Clark looked at the waitress in question and she nodded. "I'll get you an apple juice right away, young sir. And what would Dad like?"

He froze suddenly as he opened and closed his mouth a few times. Clark knew he probably looked like an idiot sitting there with his mouth agape, but he could care less. This young woman had just thought that Clark was Jason's father and, for some reason, he didn't have a problem with it. He knew that he had to set the waitress straight so Jason wouldn't get confused or say something that may make it seem like he was a kidnapper or something.

"Oh, he's not my son." Clark explained hastily. "I'm just watching him for his parents while they attend a gala across town." He looked at Jason and smiled. "Isn't that right, Jason?"

Jason grinned widely and nodded excitedly. "Yep! And we're going to have lots of fun!"

Sara laughed as she glanced between the pair of them. "Really? He's not your son?"

His heart felt heavy as he bobbed his head. "No, he's not my son. Just a buddy."

The young waitress chuckled as she sighed. "You could've fooled me. You guys have the exact same eyes and smile. But, you must get that often, right?"

Clark shook his head and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "No, actually, we haven't gotten that at all." He admitted somewhat regretfully. Why was it that a complete stranger could notice the truth, when his friends and colleagues were so blind to it? He almost laughed at the irony.

"Well, you're both pretty cute if that means anything to you." Sara implied with a wink. Clark shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he felt Jason's foot kick his shin. He sent a worried look at his son, but was shocked when his son didn't cry out in pain. The kick had been pretty hard and, him being the Man of Steel, would've hurt Jason.

"Oops, sorry," Jason apologized, breaking his gaze away from his coloring and looking at Clark.

"It's okay." Clark replied with a smile. He turned back to the waitress to see her grinning at the sight. "I'll just have a glass of water."

Sara chewed on her pen, giving him a small nod telling him that she got his order. She cocked her head to the side as she asked, "Are you sure that he's not your son and you're not trying to be polite as you blow me off?"

Clark cleared his throat at her rather long question and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Umm…no, Miss, I'm not."

"Because your smiles are identical and anyone with a full functioning brain could see that your eyes are the exact same shade of blue." Sara said.

"I assure you, he's not my son." Clark replied, glancing at Jason. He was surprised to find that Jason had a confused expression on his face, about to open his mouth to say something. Clark hoped that he wouldn't open his mouth.

"If you say so," Sara sighed, glancing once more between Clark and Jason. "I'll get your drinks out to you as soon as possible." With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, a bit haughtily. Apparently, she wasn't one who liked to be proven wrong.

Clark shifted around into a more comfortable position, the leather seat squeaking as he moved, making Jason grin for a split second, before the bewildered expression returned to his face. "What's wrong?"

"How could you told the lady that I wasn't your son?" Jason asked innocently.

"Because you're not." Clark answered slowly. "But you are my good pal."

Jason seemed satisfied with that response and returned his attention back to his coloring, swinging his feet back and forth as he hummed under his breath. Clark smiled fondly, softly, at his son as he drew. He looked so happy, so content with drawing that Clark almost picked up a crayon himself to see if it would bring him the same happiness that it brought his son.

* * *

Lois sighed tiredly as she took a sip of her wine. She laughed falsely at something one of Richard's pilot friends said, acting like she was paying attention and having a wonderful time. In truth, she was bored to tears. She would rather be at home with Jason, laughing about one of the cartoons they watched. She smiled to herself. Lois wondered what Jason and Clark were up to. 

_Clark's probably taking good care of him. The two of them get along like old buddies, so they're probably having a blast._

Lois found it a bit odd that Klutzy Clark Kent had such a way with children. And, although she found it odd, she also found it quite endearing. She knew that he would make a wonderful husband and father to any lucky woman. Not that she would ever admit it aloud, but Lois would bet a pretty penny that she would become jealous of that lucky woman who finally landed the mild mannered reporter. And it wouldn't be because she liked Clark, no, never, he was just a friend, but she would be jealous that she didn't have someone like that. True, she had Richard White, who was completely amazing in his own, but he just wasn't the same as Clark.

That thought alone assured Lois that she needn't worry. Clark was a very trustworthy man. In fact, though Lois didn't show it much, Clark was one of the few people she trusted. He was always honest and so….so….farm boyish in everything he did. Though she hadn't been much of a friend to him, he had always been a wonderful friend to her, always there whenever she needed him (except when she was pregnant, as he pulled a very non Clark Kent move and decided on whim to go on a soul searching adventure).

Of course, at the time, neither knew she was pregnant, otherwise she was positive that Clark would've stayed behind, offering his help even when Lois didn't need it nor want it. Although, Lois always found it quite peculiar that Clark decided to disappear roughly around the same time the Guardian of Metropolis decided to fall off the map. The man had been back two weeks and she hadn't heard a single detail about it.

Suddenly, his words from earlier that evening when she and Richard dropped Jason over at Clark's apartment rang through her ears, sending a shiver down her spine. _I'm always around, Lois. _Had Superman not said those very words to her last week? What was even weirder was how the tone of Clark's voice changed, reminding her so much of that deep but peaceful timbre in the Man of Steel's tone.

She sucked in a deep breath as another shiver raced up her back.

Superman.

The very mention of his name sent her mind reeling. There was so much to think about when it came to Superman. The past, the future, the present. She remembered each and every detail of the part vividly, except for a few days before and after the superhero's disappearance. Lois could vaguely recall brief flashes of those days, but other that those precious memories, she had nothing. But Lois didn't want to focus on the past. She wanted to focus on the present and, more importantly, the future. Hundreds of questions raced through her mind all at the same time.

What was she going to do about Richard?

What were they going to do about Jason when he started to show more signs of his powers?

How was she going to tell Richard about Superman being Jason's father?

When was she going to tell him?

Was she going to stay with Richard or run into Superman's save, strong arms?

Would Jason's powers reach the same height as Superman's, as he was half human, or not?

And, most importantly, was she still in love with Superman?

_Yes._ Her mind screamed as she silently mouthed the word 'no'. Lois knew she was lying to herself. Of course she still loved Superman. She doubted that she could ever love any man like she loved him. _But he's not a man. He told you himself that even though he was raised by humans, he would never be one. _He was the one who had a hold on her heart, not Richard.

They were so much alike, Richard and Superman. They were trustworthy, kind, funny in their own ways, loving, and caring. Perhaps that was why Lois was attracted to Richard in the first place. After all, she had only known him for about a month before they slept together. She wouldn't have done it if she had known that she was pregnant, which she didn't.

Her mind continued to spiral into more complicating thoughts when a hand was lain on her forearm. Lois nearly jumped out of her skin. "Whoa, calm down, Lois." Richard said with a laugh. "It's just me."

She smiled weakly at him as she took a drink of her wine, her hand still shaking. "You just scared me, is all."

"Apparently." He chuckled again. "You were zoning out there. I had to ask you about six times if you were enjoying yourself." Richard grinned. "So, are you?"

_No. _"Of course I am, baby." Lois replied, setting her false smile into place. "It's nice to meet all your old friends, along with the new ones. Which one was the photography of all these pictures again?"

* * *

"How are your egg rolls?" Clark asked after he swallowed his mouthful of chicken fried rice. Jason giggled as a bit of rice fell out of Clark's mouth. He wiped it away quickly, smiling sheepishly at Jason. "Whoops." 

"They're good!" Jason exclaimed excitedly, pointedly taking a huge bite out of the egg roll. He mocked Clark, a piece of cabbage falling out of his mouth and into his lap.

Clark rolled his eyes good naturedly and laughed, causing Jason to erupt into a fit of giggles. "Now you're getting to be like," _You're old man_ , "me. And we don't want that happening." _I never want you to know what it feels like to have the weight of the world on your shoulders. No one so innocent should ever have to go through that._

"Why not?" Jason said, his eyes widening. "I think you're cool."

There were no words to describe quite was Clark was thinking at that very moment. He believed that the phrase 'over the moon' would've fit the whirl of emotions surging through him as he gazed fondly at his son. His throat closed up with emotion as he racked his brain for what to say. He chuckled uneasily and pushed a nervous hand through his hair, slightly mussing it up. "Aw shucks," He replied, "I'm not that cool at all."

"I think you're really cool!"

"Why?"

Jason smiled knowingly at him and drew his finger across his lips as though zipping them shut.

"What? You're not going to tell me?"

"Nope!" Jason giggled, taking a huge bite of his egg roll.

* * *

_Twenty minutes later…

* * *

_

Clark held the door open for Jason, letting the little boy scurried out in front of him before quickly seizing his hand. He wasn't about to go losing his son while watching him for the woman he loved, but something told him that Jason didn't plan on leaving his side anytime soon. Earlier, in the restraunt, Jason had handed Clark a folded up drawing and told him that he wasn't allowed to open it until tomorrow morning. Clark had promised that he wouldn't and he wasn't about the break his word, although he was burning with curiosity about what the drawing contained.

Jason squeezed Clark's hand tightly as they walked down the street, their little game still going on from earlier. Clark grinned down at Jason and asked, "What would I have to do to get it out of you?" He was still trying to coax the 'secret' out of Jason, but the boy just wouldn't cave.

Jason looked up at the dark sky (it was already going on eight o'clock. They had spent nearly an hour and a half in the restraunt!) and contemplated the question. He tapped a finger to his chin in thought, making Clark break out into another wide country-boy smile. "Nothing," Jason decided.

"Nothing?" Clark repeated jokingly. A woman in a tight black skirt smiled at Clark and Jason adoringly, mouthing 'cute kid' to Clark. What was it with everyone? Why did they all assume --and correctly-- that Jason was his son. The Kryptonian decided to ignore the woman and looked down at Jason. "Surely there must be something."

Jason's eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "Take me to Disneyworld!"

"Disneyworld? Now, how do you expect us to get to Orlando, Florida when we're in Metropolis?" Clark questioned with a laugh.

Jason rolled his eyes as he spoke in a stating-the-obvious tone. "Fly, of course!"

* * *

A/N: And that's the chapter. I hope you guys liked it! Now, if you would all be so kind and respond as well as you did the last chapter, it would be great! Thank you guys for the wonderful Supey love you've been showing! I really appreciate each and every single review. So, keep them coming!

Countess Jackman


	4. Chapter 4

After Clark had gotten over the initial shock his son had delivered him while they were walking down the still very busy sidewalks of Metropolis, he somehow managed to get Jason to a park without the little tyke asking too many questions. If there was one thing that Jason inherited from his mother, it was her burning curiosity. While it could be endearing, it could also be dangerous, just like his already high IQ. The boy was too perceptive for his own damn good.

He sat Jason down on a bent and knelt down in front of him at eye level. Blue eyes bore into blue eyes as they stared at each other for a few minutes, not speaking. Clark tried to form the words his mind told him to, but his lips didn't seem to want to. He licked his dry lips and opened his mouth again to speak, "What makes you think that I can fly?"

"Because you're Superman."

His throat closed up as he fiddled with his glasses. "What makes you think that I'm Superman?"

"I saw you flying on the TV."

"Jason," Clark started, "That wasn't me. It was Superman. I'm nothing like Superman. I don't look anything like Superman. "

"That's 'cause you wear a silly costume!" Jason tugged on Clark's tee shirt for emphasis. He opened his mouth to say something when Jason pointed at Clark's jean pocket, where he had stowed the drawing.

With a quirked brow, Clark dug into his pocket and pulled the drawing out. Without waiting for Jason to tell him it was okay to look, as he had implied it was fine, Clark unfolded the drawing. Tears stung his bright blue eyes as he stared at the drawing, his throat becoming even more dry. His voice was thick with emotions as he looked up at Jason, blue eyes meeting blue eyes, not saying anything.

"That's you right there, Clark." Jason said, pointing to drawn Superman, who was standing between Lois and Jason, holding their respective hands. Underneath each of them, he wrote their names out in his chicken scratch-like handwriting: Mommy, Clark, and Me.

Clark searched Jason's eyes for any sign of laughter, but found none. Instead, he found an icy seriousness that he had never seen in Lois's eyes. _Must be his Kryptonian side coming out. _He racked his brain for something to say, but found that he couldn't.

How was he going to convince Jason that he wasn't Superman, when he would be lying? Clark could never lie. It just wasn't encoded in his genetic makeup. He was incapable of lying, and normally, he was proud of that. But now, he hated it more than anything else in the world. Jason was a clever boy and would see right through Clark.

"Jason," Clark said after the long, pregnant pause. "What makes you think that….that I'm….Superman?"

"Because I saw you fly into my room after me and Mommy went to see you in the hospital, after you got all better."

Clark licked his lips again for the umpteenth time as he sighed. "No, Jason, you saw Superman fly into your room, not me. I can't fly."

Jason's face hardened as he set his jaw. Clark was startled to see just how much Jason looked like his mother whenever he was determined. Mix that with her temper, and poor Clark knew he didn't stand a chance. "But you _are _Superman!" Jason insisted stubbornly. "I saw you with my own two eyes!"

"Prove it." Clark replied, knowing that Jason would have to have a lot of proof to get him to admit that he was really Superman. He didn't catch the short, wicked grin that spread across Jason's lips before it was replaced by the same impassive look. Jason reached forward and took Clark's glasses off his nose, folding them up and setting them gently on the bench. Needless to say, Clark wasn't expecting that and he was speechless.

"See," Jason said brightly, "you are Superman!"

Clark opened his mouth to say something, but found that he couldn't. He had been duped…by a four year old. He had never been left so speechless in his life, and all because a little boy, his son to be specific. How was he going to tell Jason that he was his father? Where he had went? Why he had left? Why he wasn't there? Tears pricked at the backs of his eyes at this questions and his heart sank into the bottom of his stomach.

He licked his lips as he asked in a low whisper, "How long have you known?"

Jason smiled triumphantly as he answered, "Since I first saw you."

Clark's eyes widened. "That long, eh? How'd you find out?"

"I saw Superman on the TV and then I saw you and you just looked like Superman, even with your glasses on." Jason explained simply, as though he was explaining why red was red; it just was.

A low chuckle escaped Clark's mouth. "Why is it that a little boy can figure it out in one glance, when the adults I surround myself with for years can't even figure it out?"

Jason shrugged. "I dunno, they're stupid?" At Clark's surprised look, he quickly added, "Mommy said it first!"

Again, Clark laughed before he let out a long sigh. He met Jason's eyes as he began speaking, "Jason, it's important that no one else finds out that I'm," He glanced around the park to find it surprisingly empty, but he still dropped his voice, "Superman, because a lot of people could get hurt if the wrong person ever found out. So that means-."

"Don't worry, Clark," Jason cut in. "Your secret's safe with me!" He drew his finger across his bottom lip as though zipping his lips, 'locked' his mouth closed, and placed the 'key' in Clark's hand. Jason gave a deep nod as he giggled.

Clark sighed again, only this time out of relief. It seemed that Jason knew the importance of keeping his secret safe. It still baffled him, though, how a boy of four could figure out one of the world's biggest secrets from the get-go when the people he's been around for years, people that he had befriended, couldn't even figure it out. _He's a smart kid, that's why. _Clark smiled at Jason again, who was busy kicking his feet together to get the red lights on his Ninja Turtle shoes to light up. _And apparently easily amused. _

Clark glanced at his watch and his eyes widened. It was nearing eight thirty. They needed to get back to Clark's apartment. Even though he was Superman and Jason knew, he didn't want to put his son at risk. He wasn't about to display his powers to Jason either, it was entirely too early.

"Come on, buddy," Clark said, standing up and stretching. "It's getting late and we've got to get back to my house." Jason nodded and hopped off the bench, dusting off the seat of his pants. Clark held out his hand to Jason, who frowned at it. "What's wrong?"

"Can't we fly?" He asked, already sticking his bottom lip out in a pout.

_Oh no. Please don't use that look against me. Your mother used to use that look against me. Although, yours in ten times more adorable than hers. _

Clark shook his head. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Jason."

"But why?" Jason whined, the four year old in him coming out in full force. "I'll hang on real tight!"

"Oh, I have no doubt that you will." Clark began. "But, what would your mommy say?"

"She wouldn't care." Jason tried.

"Knowing your mother like I do, Jason," Clark said, "Yeah she would."

Jason's face hardened once more, only this time in anger. Again, he held a startling resemblance to his mother. It was frightening to Clark. He had never been more intimidated by afour year old in his life. "You've taken her flying before, so why can't you take me?"

"Because you're younger, Jason, and smaller."

"Please!" Jason begged, grabbing Clark's hand, giving it a tug. "Pretty please! I won't cause anymore trouble (Clark laughed.)! I promise!" He swung Clark's hand back and forth, his cerulean eyes widening in desperation. "Please."

Clark exhaled heavily, in defeat. "All right."

"REALLY!" Jason squealed excitedly, a look of disbelief crossing his face. Had he really just convinced Superman to take him flying!

The mild mannered reporter nodded his head resignedly. "Really."

Jason lunged at Clark, wrapping his small arms around Clark's strong legs and hugging them tightly. "Thank you! Thank you!" He cried happily.

Clark laughed as he pealed Jason off his legs. He crouched down in front of his son and said, "Now, I need you to look out for people. Let me know if someone's coming, okay? Can you do that for me?"

Jason nodded eagerly. "Yep! I can do it."

His excitement brought a wide grin to Clark's face as he glanced around the park once more. He had just given Jason the task of looking out for anyone so he would be distracted. Seeing that no one was around, Clark began to spin around faster than the eye could see. Within moments, the man that was Clark Kent was gone and standing in his place was the Man of Steel himself.

"Did anyone see?" Superman asked in his baritone voice.

Jason whipped around, his eyes widening in shock. His mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to form words, but couldn't. Jason Lane had thought that nothing could surprise him, as he knew Superman's secret, but seeing the Savior of Metropolis in person sent him into a state of pure awe.

"Whoa," he breathed in disbelief, his hand reaching out to touch the material of Superman's cape, but he quickly withdrew it, sending Superman an uneasy look.

"It's okay," Superman urged, a small smile on his face. "You can touch if you want."

Jason swallowed the lump of surprise in his throat and slowly touched the cape. "It's so soft!" He exclaimed quietly, rubbing the material between his fingers. He ran his small hands over the spandex that covered Superman's leg and giggled, "It tickles."

Superman laughed in his low, rich tone. "Are you ready to go flying, Mr. Lane?"

Dumbly, Jason nodded, not fully believing that he was actually going to get to fly with Superman! He had been dreaming of doing so since he found out Clark's secret, but never thought he was going to get the chance. In all reality, he was shocked to find that Clark had caved so easily. If it had been Mommy, he would've never gotten to go flying.

Superman smiled as he picked Jason up, situating the four year old on his hip. "You're going to want to hold on tight." He advised. Jason looped his arms around Superman's neck. "You ready?"

Slowly, Jason bobbed his head as his answer, as he was still in shock that he was actually going flying with Superman! Although, Jason had to admit, he felt somewhat silly wearing his Ninja Turtle shirt and shoes in front of Superman. To him, it just seemed insulting. He was going to have to remind Mommy that he needed new shoes and couldn't wear this shirt anymore.

Before Jason even knew it, they were hovering six feet about the ground. He gasped and clung to Superman for dear life. His body shook as Superman chuckled. "I told you. Any place in particular you want to go?"

"You said that we were going home, Mr. Superman." Jason said in a voice barely above a whisper. Of course, because of his super hearing, Superman had heard it.

"Is that really where you want to go?"

Reluctantly, he shook his head. "No," He admitted.

"Then where do you want to go?"

"Up high in the sky!" Jason chirped happily, his eyes gleaming with hope.

"To the sky it is." Superman replied with a grin, slowly ascending toward the thick, nighttime clouds.

* * *

A/N: And that's chapter four. Thank you all so much for your gracious reviews. And because of said reviews, I've decided to make this into a ten chapter or longer fic. So, review please.

Countess Jackman


	5. Chapter 5

Superman glanced at his son out of the corner of his eye and his heart swelled. If he only had a camera to snap a picture of Jason's joyous expression. His eyes danced with laughter and amusement as they continued to climb higher into the night sky.

As they increased their altitude, Jason's arms tightened around Superman's neck and his muscles tensed. The laughter in his eyes was slowly vanishing and was replaced by uneasiness.

"I'm not going to drop you, Jason." Superman said softly, trying to ease his worries.

"I know, but we're so high." Jason replied, swallowing nervously.

"It's no different from being in a plane," Superman offered, subconsciously tightening his hold on Jason to make the boy feel better. This seemed to do the trick and Jason snuggled closer to Superman's broad chest, resting his head on the superhero's shoulder.

They were silent for a long time, as words weren't necessary. Both father and son were content watching the city of Metropolis beneath them. Jason was fascinated by the liveliness of the city, even at this late at night! He wasn't allowed to be up past eight, but he wasn't about to tell Superman that; he was having way too much fun. Besides, Mommy wasn't here to get angry at him, and neither was Daddy, so it was okay.

While Jason focused his attention on the busy city, Superman continued to stare at his son in awe. He bit back a few chuckles every time a small gasp escaped Jason's lips at a certain sight beneath them. His eyes were wide in amazement as he watched Metropolis from such a great height and even relaxed his hold around Superman's neck.

The more Superman thought on it, the more he realized that Jason was more like his mother than he could've ever imagined. They were both so easily enthralled by certain things, and flying was one of them. He could still remember the first time he had taken Lois flying because it had been that very night that he decided that he was in love with Lois.

No, not decide,he _knew_ he was in love with Lois that night. He had never felt anything for another woman, Lana Lang included, quite like he did for Ms. Lane. Whenever she was near him, his heart began to thump in an irregular, frantic way and his stomach would turn in uncomfortable knots whilst butterflies fluttered about his abdominal cavity.

As Clark Kent, he always stuttered on his words and stumbled over his own two feet. He was the quiet, dependable guy that everyone turned to when they had an article that they didn't want to do, but it had to be done. Lois was one of the people who had tended to do that the most. As Clark Kent, he was allowed to seem awkward in his own skin, yet together in that odd sort of way. He had the country boy charm that normally drew people like a moth to the flame to him that would've been noticed by Lois if he were someone else, but instead, it went unnoticed and because of that, he was a fumbling fool around the fearless reporter.

But that was only because he was allowed to show his nervousness around her as Clark. As Superman, he couldn't. He was supposed to be this strong, iconic figure that people looked up to and called upon when in need. He was a hero, to put it simply. It had been the Savior of Metropolis that eventually won Lois Lane's heart and it had been Lois Lane that the Man of Steel had given up his powers for so they could have one night of passion.

Superman looked down at the fragile boy in his arms and resisted the urge to kiss his forehead in that fatherly way. He was the result from that night. The beautiful little boy in his arms remind Superman so much of Lois that he almost believed that Jason hadn't inherited anything from him…except the same pair of fathomless sapphire eyes. The small child who had already gone through so much physically, what with having all his allergies and medical problems. The curious son of an equally inquisitive reporter as well as a mild mannered one who just happened to moonlight as the world's savior. A ghost of a smile tugged at Superman's lips. He couldn't have asked for anything better.

"Superman?" Jason's voice cut through his thoughts like a sharp knife.

"Yeah, Jason?"

He looked up at Superman and smiled. "Can I call you Clark instead of Superman?"

Superman grinned with a small nod of his head. "Yes, you can. But only when it's just me and you. You can't call me Clark around the adults because, well, you know."

Jason giggled. "This is fun, Clark. I like flying with you. It's funner than flying with Daddy." He decided, resting his head against Superman's chest near the infamous 'S' insignia and snuggling closer to him.

* * *

Lois glanced at the clock on the wall and let out a long, tired breath. It was only going on nine o'clock. They had three hours until they could leave to go pick up Jason. She instantly wondered how her son, as well as his babysitter, were fairing.

Throughout the entire evening, neither left her mind. Of course, she was more focused on Jason, but because she knew he was with Clark, she worried about either's safety. _If anything were to happen to them, you know that Superman would be there to save them. _She told herself repeatedly, easing her own worries.

* * *

Superman and Jason had just been in the middle of doing tight circles straight up in the air at a fast pace when the sounds of many sirens met Superman's hyper sensitive ears. Immediately, he stiffened and stopped spinning, therefore making Jason stop laughing.

"What is it, Clark?" Jason asked, looking into his father's eyes. His expression changed from that of a delight to one of sadness. "Someone's in trouble, aren't they?"

Superman nodded, not really hearing Jason's words. What was he going to do? Stay with Jason or let an innocent person die? He couldn't decided which was more important. He couldn't leave Jason all by himself, but could he really bring Jason along with him? _Of course not, you idiot. You'd be writing your own son's death wish. _

"Yes, Jason." He muttered.

"Are you gonna help them?"

Again, Superman nodded.

"Can I come too?" Jason questioned hopefully, hoping to see Superman in action.

He shook his head. "No, Jason, you can't come with me." Before the boy with untidy hair could protest, he added, "It's too dangerous. I wouldn't even bring your mother along either."

Jason furrowed his brow in confusion. "Then where am I going to go?"

_That's a wonderful question, Jason. I, too, find myself in the same situation. _Superman racked his brain for trustworthy people he knew and, suddenly, it clicked. "Hang on tight; we're about to go really fast."

Jason tightened his arms around Superman's neck and pressed his face into the crook of his neck, screwing his eyes shut tight. "Ready!"

And, with that, Superman sped off, tearing through the nighttime sky faster than a bullet.

* * *

Jimmy Olsen was sitting at home on his sofa, lounging comfortably in his living room, watching a rerun of 'Will and Grace' he had already seen a million times. He was laughed about something that the character Jack said to Karen as he pushed himself off the couch to get something to eat.

Walking the short distance between the kitchen and the living room, Jimmy opened up the fridge door and rummaged around to see what he had. He could hear the fake laughs from the program and chuckled along with it as he grabbed a Pepsi and a glass cup from a cabinet. Jimmy filled the cup up with ice and popped open the can of soda, pouring the carbonated liquid into the glass, where it promptly began to fizz. He turned back around to enter the living room, his hand poised to take a drink of his soda when he saw the most unbelievable sight ever.

"Hello Jimmy." Superman greeted in his baritone voice that reminded Jimmy of his father.

Superman was in his living room.

The glass cup slipped from Jimmy's hands and shattered on the floor.

"Hiya Jimmy!" chimed a small voice. Jimmy's eyes widened even further when he saw that Jason Lane was in the arms of Superman.

"Oh my God," He breathed, not believing the sight before him. Jimmy blinked a few times, but the pair did not vanished.

"I'm going to ask you to do something for me, Jimmy." Superman said, taking a powerful step toward Jimmy, who immediately jumped back. "I need someone to watch Jason while I help someone out. Can you do that for me?"

Numbly, Jimmy nodded, barely registering what was happening. "Y-y-y-y-yes sir." He stuttered.

Superman grinned as he turned to Jason and set him down on the ground. "You be good for Jimmy, all right, Jason?"

Jason bobbed his head. "Okay C-, I mean, Superman."

Superman looked at Jimmy and smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Jimmy. I appreciate it." And, just like that, the Guardian of Metropolis was gone.

Jimmy watched as Jason plopped down on the sofa, reaching for the bowl of popcorn on the table. He had watched Jason a few times before for Lois, so it was natural that Jason made himself comfortable. They usually had a lot of fun and Jason was always funny. "Can I change the channel? I don't like this show; Mommy watches it too much."

"Uh…yeah, you can." Jimmy muttered, looking down at his feet where the shards of glass and spilt soda still remained. He cursed inwardly as he walked into the kitchen, retrieving some paper towels as well as some cleaner.

He faintly heard Jason laughing in the background as he knelt down and mopped up the mess quickly, his mind reeling.He was still having trouble registering what had just happened in his own apartment. One minute, he was all by himself, watching one of the best television shows that the hour had to offer, and the next, Superman was in his living room, dropping little Jason Lane on him. But that wasn't the end of the confusion. What was perplexing to Jimmy was that…Clark was supposed to be babysitting Jason tonight and Jimmy doubted that Clark would've let anything happen to little Jason; he treated Jason like he was his son, Clark did.

_Unless…._

Jimmy's eyes darted to Jason and he immediately stood up, the blood rushing to his head. "Oh my God!" He exclaimed for the second time in ten minutes. When Jason looked at him, he waved the little boy off and told him to continue watching whatever it was that he was watching.

"Unless Clark's Superman." Jimmy whispered to himself as he went over all the proof he needed in his mind. And that was the last thing Jimmy Olsen said before he promptly passed out on his living room floor.

* * *

A/N: Sue me, it was a short chapter. Sorry about it and it's lameness. I wish I could be better author, but alas, I am not. Please review and let me know what you think. And, by the way, Will and Grace rocks my freaking socks! Butterray!

Sorry. As always, your reviews are mucho appreciated, so keep them coming!

Countess Jackman


	6. Chapter 6

Jason nearly jumped out of his skin when Jimmy fainted and quickly leapt off the couch, running over to him. He nearly tripped over his untied shoelace, but somehow managed to steady himself.

"Mr. Jimmy!" He cried, kneeling down beside the photographer and poking him a few times in the chest. Jason cocked his head to the side as he pulled back Jimmy's eyelids. "Uh oh."

Jason sat next to the unconscious Jimmy, not entirely sure what to do. He could see that his chest was moving, although he wasn't responding to Jason's constant pokes, which scared Jason.

Who was going to watch him? What if something bad happened to him? What if that bald bad guy came and took him away? He didn't like that bald guy at all. He was scary, especially when he started yelling at Mommy. And definitely not when he took out that green stuff. It had given him a bad tummy ache, but he didn't tell Mommy until they got back to the Daily Planet.

Jason was sufficiently freaking himself out and tears of fear welled up in his eyes. He shook Jimmy vigorously. "Mr. Jimmy! Wake up!" He shivered and his breaths started coming in short pants.

Oh no! He was having a minor asthma attack and he didn't have his inhaler! And Jimmy wasn't awake to help him.

Suddenly, Mommy's soothing voice came to his ears as he remembered the time he didn't have his inhaler and he had had a terrible attack. _Breath with me, baby. Come on now, sugar, you've got to breath. Just breath with me. _She had clutched him tightly to her chest as she coaxed him into breathing. Jason laid his hand on Jimmy's chest and fell into the same, slow breathing pattern.

He really wished that Clark was there to hold him tightly. There was something about being in Clark's arms that made him feel a whole lot better…kind of like it felt when Daddy held him, only different.

Jason gave Jimmy a little shake, hoping to wake the over eager photographer, but with no success. He frowned as his previous thoughts returned to him, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. He pulled his legs to his chest and grabbed Jimmy's hand, giving it a small squeeze and occasional pinch to see if he was awake yet or not.

What if the bad bald man did come back? What would Jason do? He couldn't throw another piano because, one, there wasn't a piano here and two, he didn't know if he could do it again. Jason sighed softly, his breath shaky as he rocked back and forth.

A soft thud outside on the small balcony startled Jason and his eyes sprang open. Immediately, his back stiffened and he clung to Jimmy's hand in fear. Maybe if he didn't move, they would go away because they thought the apartment was empty. It was worth a shot.

Jason stifled a gasp as the glass sliding door opened. He covered his eyes with his hands, dropping Jimmy's in the process and buried his face in his knees. The person's shoes clicked against the hardwood floor of the living room as they got closer to Jason.

"Please don't hurt me! I didn't do anything bad! I promise!" Jason said softly, pleading.

"Jason?"

Jason's eyes flew open and he looked up from his hands to see Superman crouched in front of him.

"Clark!" He exclaimed, flinging himself into Clark's arms. He pressed his face against the insignia and let the tears leak out of his eyes.

Superman held Jason close, rocking him back and forth. "What's wrong, Jason? Why did you say not to hurt you?"

Jason pulled back from the hug and said, "Because I thought you were that bad bald guy that yelled at me and Mommy."

Superman cocked a brow. "You mean Lex Luthor?"

Silently and somewhat reluctantly, Jason nodded. "Yeah, and I thought you were going to hurt me."

Superman sighed softly and put a hand on either side of Jason's face so that the messy haired boy was looking at him square in the eyes. "Jason, I promise you that as long as I live, I will never let Lex Luthor harm you."

"Never ever?" Jason asked, hopefully.

A wide smile spread across Superman's lips. "Never in a million years ever." He promised.

Jason hugged Superman tightly once again. The Man of Steel could feel the beat of his small heart against his broad chest. Superman made sure not to tighten his arms too…erm, tightly around Jason so he wouldn't squeeze the life out of the fragile boy.

He raised a curious brow as he looked over Jason's small shoulder at the unconscious form of Jimmy Olsen. He pulled back from the hug, although Jason kept his arms wrapped firmly around Superman's neck, still shaking slightly from fear. "What happened?" Superman asked.

Jason shrugged as he rested his head against Superman's shoulder. "I don't know. I was just watching that funny TV show Mommy watches." He scrunched his face up as he peered at Superman. "I don't see what's so funny about it. They're not even cartoons."

Superman laughed. "Adults can be funny, you know."

"Yep, I do." Jason said proudly. He poked Superman in the chest. "Like you!"

"Like me!" Superman exclaimed in mock offense, standing up and situating Jason on his hip.

Jason giggled as he nodded. "Yep! You wear a funny costume!"

Superman shook his head in silent laughter as he set Jason down on the couch. "I'm going to put Jimmy in his room, okay? Just so he doesn't wake up with a stiff neck tomorrow morning. You stay right there, okay?"

Jason nodded a little uncertainly, looking down at his feet. He crossed his ankles, the lights on his shoes lighting up, and he blushed to himself, hiding his Ninja Turtle shoes underneath the couch sheepishly. He couldn't let Superman see them; it would probably offend him.

Superman bent down, hooking his arms underneath Jimmy's back and knees, easily lifting the photographer off the ground. He was lighter than Superman expected him to be, but he carried him down the short hallway and into his bedroom anyway. He wondered why caused Jimmy to pass out, but knowing him, it was probably something simple.

_Like a picture of a porcupine on the TV. He has an unnatural fear of those things…_

There was something in the pit of his stomach that told Superman that this wasn't the case, that Jimmy had good reason to faint. Superman wondered what it could've been. Maybe an announcement had been made on the news about Lex Luthor.

_But Jason said they were watching a TV show…probably Will and Grace. _

He set Jimmy down on his bed and sighed before turning on his heel to walk out of the simple bedroom. This was definitely not good. Sure, Jimmy had passed out loads of times, but Superman had asked him to watch Jason and, no matter what it was, Jimmy wouldn't have passed out that easily…he was only gone for twenty minutes tops.

Once again, Superman sighed as he walked into the living room to find Jason with his feet tucked under the couch. He used his x-ray vision to see that the little four year old was hiding his shoes under the couch, out of the view of Superman. A small smile tugged at his lips as he asked, "Ready to go?"

Jason looked up at the sound of Superman's voice and nodded. "Is Mr. Jimmy going to be okay?"

Superman bobbed his head in response as he picked Jason up, once more situating him on his hip. Jason's arms flew around the hero's neck, although he noticed that his grip wasn't as tight as before.

_He's starting to trust you. _

He walked out onto the balcony, carefully closing the door behind him and making sure it was locked, before smiling tightly at Jason and taking off into the nighttime sky.

* * *

They landed on the roof of Superman's -- or rather, Clark's -- apartment building. Jason insisted that he could walk down the stairs himself, instead of having Superman carry him. So, holding Jason's small hand in his own, they walked down the narrow stairwell that led to the top floor of the building.

They walked down the long, carpeted hallway, Jason swinging their linked hands back and forth as he told Superman about an episode of Spongebob Squarepants that was particularly funny. The Savior of Metropolis grabbed the key out from underneath the welcome mat and unlocked the door, quickly herding Jason in through the doorway and closing it behind him.

Usually, he changed out of costume on the roof, but since he had Jason and hadn't thought about putting a spar set of clothes there, he couldn't.

"Make yourself at home." Superman instructed as he walked back into his bedroom to change into his normal clothes.

Jason listened and sat down Indian style in front of the coffee table. There were a few thick books underneath it and they looked somewhat interesting. With a quick look around the apartment, not that it mattered or anything, he pulled the top book out and set it on the top of the glass table gently.

Dust covered the front page and made Jason sneeze a few times, as he was allergic to dust. Wiping his nose on his shirt, Jason opened the book up and found that it wasn't a book at all. It was a photo album!

"Whatcha got there?" Clark asked as he buttoned the cuff to one of his plaid shirts.

Jason practically leapt a mile out of his skin at the sudden appearance of Clark. He took a deep, steadying breath as he mumbled, "A book."

Clark smiled as he lowered himself down the floor next to Jason. "Oh, it's one of the photo albums my mom put together for me when I moved away from Smallville."

Jason furrowed his brow. He had heard that name before, but where from? "What's Smallville?"

"It's a town in Kansas; the corn capital of the world!" Clark explained proudly. "And it's where I grew up. My mom lives there."

"Oh," Jason said, still gazing at Clark in wonder. "Why doesn't your mommy live here?"

"Because she likes it on the farm."

Jason's eyes widened. "You have a farm?" He questioned incredulously.

Clark chuckled as he nodded and flipped the pages of the scrapbook until he found a good picture of the Kent family farm. He pointed to it and smiled. "Yep. Right there."

"Whoa!" Jason breathed as he looked at all the different photos of pigs, sheep, and cattle. For some reason, he had always liked farm animals and always begged Mommy to take him to the petting zoo, but she hardly ever did. She said that the animals stunk too badly and it was unbearable.

"Who knows, maybe you'll get to meet my mom and you can visit all the animals." Clark remarked.

"REALLY!" Jason exclaimed eagerly.

"Really."

"Awesome!"

Clark laughed as he leaned forward to inspect some of the pictures. It was a photograph of himself and his father. His heart clenched at the memory of Jonathan Kent, the beloved father that he had lost all too soon.

"Could Mommy and Daddy come too?"

Jason's voice snapped him out of his memories and he nodded dumbly. "Uh, yeah. They can come."

Jason began to talk about everything and anything as he flipped through not just one album, but all three that were stowed away underneath the coffee table. Whenever he asked a question, Clark would answer him. Jason seemed absolutely entranced with every word that Clark had to say. By the end of the albums, Jason wanted to know more, but Clark didn't know what to tell him.

"How about we watch a movie?" Clark suggested.

Jason nodded. "Okay! Which one?"

"Umm….I don't know." Clark admitted. "I think your mom put some in your back pa-."

Before he could even finish his sentence, Jason flew up from his spot and ran over to where his red book bag was, rummaging through it like a madman. "Found one! I found one!" He cried as he scurried back over to Clark.

"Which one?"

"The Lion King!" Jason answered, practically shoving the plastic box into his face.

Clark took the movie from Jason and popped it into the DVD player. He grabbed the remote and sank back onto the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table. Jason crawled up on the couch and sat next to Clark. He lifted the reporter's arm and placed it around his small shoulders so he could curl up next to Clark. Tears formed in Clark's eyes at the small gesture, his heart feeling like it was going to explode.

For the first time ever, Clark felt like a father.

* * *

A/N: I'm certain you know what I'm going to ask of you guys...review please. I cannot believe the response I'm getting from this story though. You guys rock my world! Each and every review brings a smile to my face and I hope you guys like it as much as you say you do. Your kind reviews inspire me to write more and, if you keep them coming, I promise that I'll get the chapters out faster. Thanks again.

Countess Jackman


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I just wanted to say thank you all for being such wonderful reviewers. I don't think I can properly express my gratitude for your awesome reviews. I think you're all mental for thinking that my story is good, but whatever. What do I know? I'm just the author. Lol. Enough of this pointless note, time for the story. Vaminos!

* * *

"Lois, honey."

The sound of Richard's voice startled Lois, nearly causing her to drop her flute of champagne. She wasn't sure how many this one made the count, but she was pretty sure it was over seven. Especially since the photojournalist she was talking to was droning on and on about a cover for National Geographic that he shot about fire ants. She silently thanked Richard for coming to her rescue.

She turned around, her hand over her fluttering heart. "Oh, hey, Richard." Lois said, the relief barely masked in her voice. Richard smiled, having picked up the small hint.

"What've you been up to?" He asked, nodding in greetings to the man talking to his fiancé. His arm snaked around her waist and Lois shivered uncomfortable. As sweet and familiar as the gesture was, Lois could never get used to Richard's touch, not since _he_ came back. The caped crusader was always in her thoughts, whether she knew she was thinking about him or not.

"Frank here," Lois started, her words a little slurred. Damn, how many flutes of champagne had she downed she they arrived? She hardly ever slurred her words, even when consuming large amounts of alcohol. She prided herself in having her father's immunity to alcohol, but now she was slurring her words? "Has been telling me about his adventures as a photojournalist. Weren't you, Frank?"

Said journalist nodded. "I sure have, but, if you ask me," He said in a stage whisper to Richard. "I don't think she's really been paying attention."

Richard laughed, earning him a sharp elbow in the gut. He still chuckled, although it was accompanied by a painful, yet playful groan. "Ouch."

"You deserved it." Lois replied lamely, turning her attention back to Frank. "And I was paying attention. You shot the cover to the September 2003 cover with the fire ants on it, right?"

Frank smiled as he laughed. "Sure is. Maybe I was wrong."

_Or maybe you should remember the fact that I'm a reporter and often hear things that I shouldn't -- or in this case, don't --- need to hear. And not to mention I can commit almost anything to memory._

"Lois!" Richard exclaimed, taken back that she had actually said the words aloud.

She clapped a hand over her mouth and looked away from Frank's offended gaze, biting down on the inside of her cheek to keep from chuckling. Oh god, she was going to laugh? If there was a Lord, he would control her giggles. She had just offended one of Metropolis' best photojournalist, which was why she came over to talk to him in the first place, and she was laughing about it.

Richard sighed as he rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, Frank, it's just that Lois has had too much to drink. She really didn't mean that." He said reassuringly to the older, stumpy man.

"It's all right, really, but I must be going," Frank replied, however bristled he still was.

"Oh," Richard started, sticking out his hand for Frank to shake; he did. "It was good to see you again, Frank."

"Good to see you too, Richard. Be sure to say hello to your uncle for me."

"I will." Richard promised with a small grin. And with that, the photojournalist was gone and Richard turned to his fiancé. "I think you've had enough, Lois." He took the champagne flute from her hands and set it down on a table.

"Hey! I wasn't done with that." Lois protested weakly. "And you would hit the champagne if you had to listen to him drone on for a half hour." She hit Richard softly on the chest. "Where'd you run off to anyway?"

Richard paled, suddenly remembering why he had sought his fiancé out. Should he tell her now that he was going away -- to Lebanon, to be exact -- to cover the crisis in the Middle East, because his uncle saw him best equipped for it? Or should he tell her later, when there weren't so many people around to see Lois start screaming?

Would she start screaming at him, or crying? Or would she remain indifferent? Lois tried to hide it, and Richard had to admit that she did it well, but from him, it was pointless. She wasn't the same Lois Lane he had fallen in love with. She was different now that Superman had returned. She no longer looked at him the way she used to, yet when the Man of Steel came on the television in the bullpen, she would take a sharp intake of breath, barely noticeable to anyone else but him.

Oh yes, Richard White was loosing the woman he loved to the world's savior. When he had met Lois, she had been broken and cold from Superman's sudden departure, always snapping at him whenever he tried to talk to her to leave her the hell alone and that she wasn't interested. It remained that way for two weeks, until they both stayed late one night, ended up going out for coffee, and realizing just how much they had in common.

They had talked about anything and everything in that small coffee shop, including their past love life. Though Lois failed to mention the name of her ex, Richard had told her all about Morgan. Morgan had been his girlfriend since their junior year in college and, until recently, they had seriously considered marriage an option for them…until cancer claimed her life, which was why Richard moved from Gotham to Metropolis. They had kissed that night and Richard remembered what it felt like to feel again. Lois had evoked that from him and he couldn't have been more thankful for that.

But, now, she was slipping away from him and he was loosing her to perhaps the most perfect of men. It was hard to hate Superman. Hell, it was damn near impossible, but Richard should've saw the signs earlier. Whenever someone mentioned his name, she would get a faraway look in her eyes that was so revealing to how she still felt about him. And he was blind to it.

"Richard?" Lois's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"I've asked you where you went seven times already," She replied irritably.

"Oh," Richard said, a bit confused on why she was so snappy. _Because you took her drink away, that's why. _"I was just talking with some old friends of my uncle."

Lois stared at Richard for a few seconds to see if he was telling the truth. Richard had always been a horrible liar, almost worse than Clark now that she thought about it, and he always showed every sign of lying. The aversion of the eyes, the tripping over one's words, the constant fidgeting, the sweaty brow. Richard usually displayed all these signs and more when he lied -- which wasn't often --, but at the moment, he wasn't.

"Really?" She asked, her brow raised in question.

Richard nodded, and swallowed, glad he was in the clear for the moment. "Yes, really." He smiled as he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Their lips were barely inches apart and Richard could smell the unattractive scent of alcohol on Lois's breath. "And they told me to tell you that you looked positively gorgeous." He kissed her softly on the lips, unaware to her stiff body, unresponsive and emotionless eyes, and protesting lips.

Lois forced a small chuckle, as well as a smile as Richard pressed his lips to her forehead, murmuring, "It's nearly eleven thirty."

"Your point?"

Richard blinked as he said, "You told Clark that we'd pick up Jason around midnight. Remember?"

Lois bit back a smile at the thought of how much fun Clark and Jason had probably had that evening. A ping of jealousy surged through her. She suddenly wished that she could've joined in on the fun instead of going to this boring gala and meeting the same old, rich men and women of Metropolis.

"Yeah, I do." She nodded her head, taking a backward step from Richard to put some distance between them. She used to feel so cold once she left the comforts of Richard's arms. It had been into his arms she ran when she found that she was pregnant. At the time, they had only been dating one month, but they had slept together after the third date. While Richard believed the child to be his, and for some time, so did Lois, when Jason finally arrived three months ahead of schedule, yet was oddly healthy for a pre-me, she wasn't so sure of his true paternity. The point was that Richard had always been there for her when she needed him, and she knew that was one of the reasons she fell in love with him.

…until Superman returned. The night he had taken her flying over Metropolis, their bodies so close together, their hearts beating in unison though neither was aware, she had fallen in love with him all over again and then some.

"Lois?" Richard's voice cut through her thoughts like a jack knife.

"Huh?"

"I asked you if you wanted me to get your coat for you." Richard repeated, his voice devoid of annoyance, unlike hers had been when he didn't answer her straight away. The patience of that man often unnerved her.

"Sure," She answered with a small smile. Such a gentleman, just like Clark.

_Clark? Why are you thinking of Clark? Why are you even spending your time comparing Clark to Richard? _

**Because Clark's one of your best friends. **The reasonable part of her brain argued.

She would have to accept that answer, no matter if she liked it or not…or whether it was truthfully or not.

Lois sighed as she tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear, tapping her foot against the hardwood floor to the soothing sound of the classical musical that had been playing all night. She closed her eyes, the past week finally catching up with her. She had written so many articles, put in loads of overtime at the _Planet_ with Clark and Richard for their joint assignment, and had eaten way too much take out.

Two hands on her shoulders startled Lois and she bit back a gasp once the hands began massaging her shoulders. "Relax, it's just me." Richard whispered into her ear as his hands went to work on her tense shoulders, though it wasn't relaxing her at all. In fact, it was making her muscles scream in protest. He dropped his hands once he saw that Lois wasn't enjoying nor appreciating it like he thought she would've and held her coat out to her.

"Thank you," She murmured as she slipped her arms into the sleeves and shrugged it onto her shoulders. Lois threaded her fingers through Richard's and was shocked to feel him tense up in surprise. She smiled weakly at him and he led her over toward a group of men, apparently some of his friends, to say goodbye to.

"Richard, my good man," a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair said, the cigar in his mouth pivoting dangerously on his lower lip. He patted Richard forcefully on the shoulder, Richard hiding a wince at the pressure applied to his shoulder. "You're not leaving, are you?"

"That is what we came over here for."

"We?" The cigar man peered around Richard's shoulder and saw Lois, his face immediately brightening. "So this is the Lois Lane that I've been hearing so much about. That we've all been hearing about so much." He looked at Richard and laughed. "She's a beauty, Rich. Better keep a tight leash on her."

Richard squeezed Lois's hand as he nodded with a chuckle. "I will."

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your gorgeous fiancé, Richie?" Another man asked. He had dark blonde hair that was cropped too closely to his scalp for her liking, kind, brown eyes, and a lazy grin.

"Oh right," Richard said with a laugh. He cleared his throat as he said, "Lois, this is Robert Hudson," He pointed to the man with the cigar hanging out of his mouth, "Anthony Kline," he gestured to the dark blonde with the cute grin, "Steven Hurst," he nodded in the direction of another blonde man, although his hair was platinum in color and very blinding in her humble opinion, "And…" Richard stopped, his brow furrowed in confusion as he looked around the group of men standing before him. "Hmm, that's odd."

"What's odd?" They all asked in unison, which more or less creeped Lois out. They all smiled at one another and laughed.

"I could've swore that Bruce was here a few seconds ago." Richard answered, before sighing. "Well, I guess you won't get to meet him tonight."

"It's a shame, I tell you." Steven Hurst said, feigning distraught. "Not getting to meet Bruce Wayne."

Lois's eyebrows shot up so high they nearly disappeared into her hair. "Bruce Wayne? As in the owner of Wayne Enterprises?" Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she turned to Richard and smacked him on the arm. "You never told me you knew him!"

The men laughed and Richard chuckled, though not as heartily as his friends were. He placed a hand on Lois's arm as he addressed the group. "I have to go to the bathroom and say goodbye to the others, so if you'll excuse me."

Lois instinctively tilted her head so Richard could place a short, departing peck on her lips. She didn't feel that spark she thought she felt at the beginning of their relationship and, in all honesty, she wasn't completely upset about it. Richard's friends -- more like Anthony and Steven -- gave a cat call or two before Richard laughed and was gone.

Lois turned to Richard's friends, wondering how he knew them all in the first place, before switching on her reporter mood and asking, "Richard knows Bruce Wayne?"

"It's more like his Uncle Perry does, sweetheart," Robert Hudson supplied, getting a collective nod of agreement from the others.

"And Perry only knows him through that one reporter," Anthony pointed out and Lois realized for the first time that he was English.

"What reporter?" Lois questioned curiously.

"That really tall bloke," Anthony continued, holding his hand a few inches above his head. "You know the one I'm talking about?" He turned to Robert, directing his question at the older man.

"The kind of bulky one, but not like Steven here, rather healthily bulky, with the coke bottle glasses and seems like a big wuss?" Robert said as more of a statement then a question.

If Lois thought her eyes had nearly bugged out of her skull now, she was truly mistaken. Her jaw opened and closed a few times as she said, "You mean Clark? Clark Kent?"

"Yes!" Steven and Anthony exclaimed together. "That's the one."

"Total goof that one is," Steven chuckled.

"A little too humble for his own good, maybe, but Clark Kent is most certainly not a goof." Lois said defensively.

Steven raised an eyebrow at both Anthony and Robert as Anthony said, "He's an excellent reporter, if that helps any." She smiled faintly as he continued, "The articles the two of you wrote together were always fantastic. I myself was completely addicted to them."

"As was I," Steven added.

"I wasn't," Robert grumbled. At Lois's curious look, he said, "I was fuming with anger that I didn't have a brilliant team like yours working at my paper!"

They all laughed, Lois smiling brightly, as she realized just how easy these men were to get along with. She and Clark had made a good team, hadn't they? Lois didn't know anyone else who could've put up with her, and Clark did it with flying colors. He never once complained to her about how she received the majority of the credit for their joint assignments. And not once did he bitch to her about how it was unfair that she was getting all the attention. He really was the perfect partner for her.

By the time Richard rejoined the group, Lois had already taken off her coat and had another flute of champagne in her hand. He smiled as they all took a step back to welcome him into the circle.

"Lois," Richard started, but Lois quickly shushed him with, "Oh hush. Clark's not going to complain about watching Jason for another hour or two and Anthony's in the middle of a really good story."

Slightly surprised by her outburst, but glad she was getting along with his friends nonetheless, Richard accepted a proffered glass of red wine and joined in the conversation. As they all exchanged stories, told jokes, and nearly fell over from laughing, Lois couldn't help but wonder…

_How the hell did humble, farm boy Clark Kent know big time, billionare Bruce Wayne?_

* * *

A/N 2: This is what one would call a filler chapter. And although it may seem completely unnecessary, I'm afraid to say that it is, but I'm not telling you why. Lol. Thanks again for all your wonderful reviews! Keep them coming! I'm loving it! Lol.

Countess Jackman


	8. Chapter 8

"Bye Lois," Anthony said, giving Lois a tight squeeze before letting her go. "It was great to finally meet you."

Lois laughed as she shrugged her coat back on her shoulders. "It was great to meet you too, Anthony. You'll have to stop by the _Planet _sometime. All of you," She said, looking at each of them in turn, "and we can go grab something to eat or whatnot."

"If that includes you telling us the secret behind your monstrous success, then I'm sure we can arrange something." Steven replied as Lois moved to hug him as well. He kissed her cheek as he said, "Bye sweetheart."

Richard cocked a playful eyebrow and joked, "Are you trying to lay the moves on my woman, Steven?"

"Your woman?" Lois challenged with a raised brow.

They all laughed as Richard shook all their hands before they pulled one another into those 'manly' hugs. Lois rolled her eyes. She really didn't understand men sometimes. It's not like they were going to look like a bunch of fairies if they actually hugged each other once in a while. In fact, it would show that they aren't all about the sex and actually have some sort of emotion other than horny.

"Tell the little one, what's his face," Anthony started, snapping his fingers as he racked his brain for a name.

"Jason?" Lois and Richard supplied in unison.

"That's it! Jason. Tell Jason that I said hello." Anthony said with a firm nod.

"I second that," Robert chimed.

"And I third that," slurred Steven, a goofy grin on his face.

"All right, we will." Richard promised, placing his hand on the small of Lois's back gently. She flinched at the touch, not sure what it was that she didn't like about Richard's touch. She used to love it, as it seemed so right, but now, it was just…wrong.

If Richard notice her sudden twitch, he didn't say anything about it. He tentatively settled his hand on her waist, as though asking for permission to place his hand there. She grabbed his warm hand and placed it on her waist, even if it wasn't his hand that she wanted there.

_You'll never get him, Lane, so just stop while you're ahead. You're with Richard now and have been for five years. He's been there for you when _he_ wasn't. Richard's your rock. He's been your rock for God knows how many years now. Suck it up and get rid of that pathetic school girl crush. _

But was it really just a school girl crush?

"Come on, Lois," Richard's soft and caring voice whispered, his hot breath sending a shiver down her spine, and not one of those romantic ones.

She nodded dumbly and let him lead her out of the grand ballroom, but not before her eyes landed on a rather handsome looking man standing alone on the balcony, looking out at the city. She quirked a brow and turned to ask Richard who it was, but Richard held his hand up, "Don't ask."

"Fine," Lois snapped, "I won't." She changed her pace from a slow walk to a brisk one, putting a few feet of distance between them.

"Lois," Richard groaned as he lengthened his stride. Since he was a considerable amount taller than her, he caught up with her quickly and grabbed her elbow. He felt the muscles under his hand tightened at his grasp and wondered exactly what it was that was making Lois so repulsed by his touch. What had he done wrong? "I didn't mean it like that."

Lois searched his eyes and found that he was telling the truth. She rolled her own brown eyes and sighed heavily, "I know. I'm just tired and cranky."

"Not to mention inebriated," Richard teased, bringing a small smile to Lois's lips. He missed her smile. It used to be so easy for him to bring one to her face, but now, it was easier to get a mime to talk than Lois to smile…unless your name was Jason Lane. _Or Superman_, his mind grumbled bitterly.

She rolled her eyes playfully and said, "Let's just get to Clark's and take my baby home."

This time, it was Lois who didn't notice Richard flinch.

* * *

When Jimmy Olsen woke up to find himself laying in his bed, fully clothed, he was more than slightly confused. He never went to sleep without changing into his pajamas first. Sure, it sounded a little old school for a grown man to wear flannel pajamas, but they had been a gift from his mother and they were just so gosh darn comfortable! Not to mention, his shoes were still on. Yes, he could picture himself being so tired that he stumbled into bed and fell asleep in his clothes, but who in their right mind fell asleep with their shoes on?

Quite suddenly, Jimmy sat up, immediately regretting it as all the blood rushed back to the rest of his body, therefore making him lightheaded. He held his head in his hands as he swung his legs over the side of his mattress and placed his feet on the floor. What was going on? Why was he so lightheaded and gosh darn it, why the heck did he fall asleep with not only his clothes on, but his shoes!

Warily, Jimmy rose to his feet and prepared himself in case another wave of lightheadedness crashed over him. He slowly scuffled his feet along the carpet of his bedroom and walked toward the bathroom, still trying to figure out what was happening…and why the heck it was still so dark outside?

With a brow furrowed in confusion, Jimmy glanced down at his wrist watch and his eyes grew wide. It was nearly two o'clock in the morning! He should be sound asleep by now, not wide awake! He was normally in bed by eleven, after Will and Grace was over on the local WB station…but apparently not. What had happened to him?

Not liking the feeling that he was getting from the whole scenario, Jimmy high tailed it to the kitchen to get an ibuprofen and a nice, cold glass of water, maybe a slice of bread too. His mother always told him that a slice of bread could cure anything and, so far, she had been correct. Sliced bread had never failed him before and Jimmy certainly didn't want it to start now.

As he passed through the living room, Jimmy noticed a folded piece of paper lying abandon on the floor. He, Jimmy Olsen, wasn't one to leave anything on the floor, let alone a piece of paper. It could be recycled and save a branch from a tree for Pete's sake! With a shake of his head, Jimmy bent down to pick up the piece of paper and brought it with him to the kitchen, where his recycling bin lay in the pantry along with the trash can.

When making the transition from living room into the kitchen, a sharp pain racked through Jimmy's body, starting at his foot. "Ouch!" He cried out to no one as he leaned against the archway and flipped on the kitchen light to examine his foot. A small spot of blood pooled around what looked to be a tiny shard of glass.

A shard of glass? What would a shard of glass be doing on the floor?

Jimmy pushed the pointless thoughts from his mind as he pulled the small sliver of glass out of his foot, wincing as the cool air made it sting. He held his foot in one hand and hopped over to the sink, where he ran a napkin underneath the faucet and wiped up all the blood, not that there was much or anything, as it was just a small cut.

He shook his head, wondering what else was going to confuse him tonight, as he pulled a glass out of the cupboard and set about filling it with water. Jimmy grabbed the ibuprofen from the small cabinet above the sink and pivoted on his heel to grab the loaf of bread. As he unwrapped the package of bread, taking his sweet time to undo the twisty tie, Jimmy picked up the piece of paper to make sure it wasn't important.

He stopped momentarily to unfolded the paper, but quickly returned to unwrapped the bread and pulling out a slice. Jimmy was about to take a bite when he finally focused in on what the paper contained. It was a drawing, something that Jason would've done….wait, it _was_ Jason's work! He could recognize it from anywhere, since so many of the young boy's pictures hung at his mother's desk! Jimmy blinked in surprise at what the drawing contain. Three figures were labeled: Mommy, Clark, and Me…only 'Clark' was dressed as Superman.

Jimmy's eyes widened in shock as he leaned against the countertop for support. He closed his eyes as flashes of what happened earlier in the evening invaded his mind like martians from a different planet. Watching Will and Grace. Dropping the glass of soda in surprise at the sight of Superman in his apartment. Wondering what the heck Superman was doing with Jason Lane when Clark Kent was supposed to be watching him. Cleaning up the mess. Jason asking if he could change the channel. Figuring out that Clark Kent was Superman. And then, blackness.

As suddenly as all the confusion had washed over him, it drained out of him. It had all come back to him, leaving him feeling like he had just been smacked in the face with a raw fish. Clark was Superman. Clark was Superman? CLARK WAS SUPERMAN!

And, for the second time that night, Jimmy Olsen was out cold on his kitchen floor…and not because he was tired.

* * *

_A light, autumn breeze blew across the park, stirring the dead, yet beautiful leaves that covered the black sidewalk and causing them to skitter across the surface. The sun was shining in all it's golden glory, although there were a few gray clouds to the left. In the distance, thunder could be heard, but she knew that it was miles away and they could still stay where they were and get home in time to miss the afternoon shower. _

_But not even storm clouds could break the feeling of pure happiness that surged through Lois as she watched the scene unfold before her. Jason had jumped onto one of those metal, merry-go-round things that required someone to spin it around in order for it to move. He giggled as his pursuer caught up with him and plopped down on the piece of playground equipment._

"_Spin me, Superman!" Jason demanded gleefully, his eyes dancing with joy. _

_Superman, who was Jason's pursuer and apparent play-mate, chuckled in his deep, baritone way that sent waves of pleasure through Lois, and nodded. "All right." He consented, placing his strong hand on one of the bars and giving it the smallest of pushes. _

_Jason held on tightly as it spun around quickly, his head thrown back in joyous laughter. "Look at me, Mommy! Look at me!" He cried happily, smiling adoringly at Superman, who wore an equally admiring grin on his lips. _

"_I'm watching, baby," Lois replied, gripping onto her Styrofoam cup of Starbucks coffee. Her eyes drifted away from her son and onto his father. He looked very handsome in his super suit, the blue of the spandex material setting off his eyes wonderfully. Said eyes met hers and a familiar, but most welcome shiver was sent down her spine. A wide smile overtook his lips and Lois could've melted right there on the spot. She closed her eyes in hopes to make her head stop spinning…however pleasant the spinning was. _

_She had Superman back. The father to her child. The love of her life. She had him back. He was hers. She didn't have to share him with anyone else….well, not another woman anyway. He would always belong to the world before he belonged to her, but that didn't mean that he didn't love her the most at the end of the day. By simply glancing into his eyes, she knew that he loved her with all his warm heart and she loved him just as much, if not more. _

_Jason squealed in delight, making Lois open her eyes. She gasped and her coffee nearly slipped from her hand. Jason was no longer spinning on the miniature merry-go-round, but that's not what was caused her to gasp. What caused her to gasp was the fact that Superman was no longer standing beside the merry-go-round with that set, confident smile in place, but rather, he was replaced by none other than the mild mannered reporter, Clark Kent. _

"_Superman!" Jason shouted after the merry-go-round stop spinning and he leapt off it, rushing toward Clark and hugging his legs. Clark bent down and picked Jason up with ease, before swinging him around in a big circle. Again, Jason squealed gleefully as Clark twirled him around. _

_The sight shook Lois to the core and her heart began to beat irregularly in her chest. Her stomach did that uncomfortable flip flop thing that only happened when she was around, "Superman?" Lois questioned, sending her son an odd look. "What are you talking about, Jason? That's Clark." _

_As soon as the words left her mouth, Superman had taken Clark's place and Jason was snuggled tightly against his father's chest, his head of shaggy brown hair resting on the Man of Steel's broad shoulder. The look in his eyes clearly said that Superman was meant to be a father. And, personally, Lois couldn't have asked for a better one for her son. Her heart fluttered again as Superman laid a tender kiss on Jason's forehead before setting the boy down on the ground. _

_As soon as Jason's feet touched the ground, he ran straight toward his mother. Instinctively, Lois knelt down and spread her arms open wide -- but not before setting her coffee down beside her --, knowing what was about to happen next. Within seconds, Jason clamped his small arms around his mother's neck tightly and Lois scooped him up in her arms, standing up to swing him around. _

_She had expected to hear Jason giggle…not scream. _

"_CLARK!" Jason fought against his mother's arms and eventually broke free of them before running toward the playground once again. Lois whipped around to see that Superman was holding his stomach, a look of pure misery etched across his face. She screamed loudly at the next sight she saw._

_Lex Luthor was standing behind Superman, smiling wickedly as he watched the Savior of Metropolis drop to his knees, revealing the long blade like piece of Kryptonite that appeared to be broken in two. She raced over to Superman's side, falling to her knees beside Superman and settling his head in her lap, her cold hands immediately flying to his forehead to smooth his hair away from his forehead._

_She glanced up at the notoriously evil billionaire and a small gasp escaped her lips. Luthor's fiendish grin told her where the rest of it was. "It seems that all Gods have a weakness," Luthor laughed, waving at Jason before blowing Lois a kiss. And within the blink of an eye, he was gone. _

_Lois immediately turned her attention to Superman to see that his lips were already turning blue and he was struggling for breath. Jason had a firm grip on his left hand and was stroking the 'S' on his chest fondly, tears freely streaming down his round cheeks. _

"_L-L-Lois," _

"_Shhh," Lois whispered, one of her own tears landing on Superman's cheek as she continued to stroke his hair. Her other hand lightly grazed over the wound, a large amount of crimson blood covering her fingertips. "It's okay, I'm here. You don't have to say anything." _

_His tongue ran over his dry, cracked lips as he sputtered for breath, "B-b-but I-I-I n-n-need to t-t-tell y-y-you some-something." _

"_What is it?" Lois lowered her ear to his mouth as tears leaked from her large, brown eyes. She noticed how he seemed oddly cold, as he was always one of the warmest people she had ever met, but that was natural, since he drew his power from the sun, and her stomach twisted into a large knot. _

"_I-I-I-I l-l-l-o," He took a deep breath, which was quickly followed by a long string of violent coughs. _

"_Superman," She breathed, her bottom lip quivering. _

"_l-l-love y-y-you b-b-both. Y-you know that, r-right?" _

_Lois nodded fiercely, "Yes. And you know that we love you too." _

_He nodded and Jason squeezed the hero's hand tightly, making Superman smile faintly. "I'm s-s-sorry." _

"_What? Why are you sorry?" Lois questioned frantically, placing her hand against the side of his cheek. _

_Superman nuzzled her hand and his eyes started to flutter closed. "F-f-f-or leaving you again."_

_Lois squeezed her eyes shut tightly, shaking her head vigorously. "No. No, no, no, no, no!" She gritted through gritted teeth, placing her other hand on his other cheek and forcing him to look her in the eyes. "You can't quit now, Superman. You still have to watch our son grow up. He can't grow up without his daddy." She noticed that his eyes strayed to Jason, staring at him in wonder. _

"_L-L-Lois," _

"_Please, Superman!" She begged, her finger threading through his thick hair. "Don't leave us. I don't think I could lose you again." _

"_B-b-but you'll always have a p-p-part of me w-w-w-ith you." He gave a gentle nudge of his head in Jason's direction and faintly gave a tug on the little boy's small hand. Superman turned his eyes back to Lois, a small smile twitching at the corners of his blue lips. _

"_J-Jason," He whispered hoarsely._

_Lois's throat closed up at his last statement, unsure of what to say next. It was obvious that he was beyond saving. There was no way to get the Kryptonite out and even if they did call for help, there was too much damage done. She let Jason and Superman, father and son, have their moment._

_Her eyes left his face to examine the wound when she noticed the most peculiar of things. It seemed that the blue material of Superman's suit was disappearing right before her very eyes and was replaced by…a flannel shirt? With her brow furrowed in confusion, she let her eyes travel downward (A/N: not like that, you perv!) and her eyes widened when she saw that the tight, yet flexible material was…was that denim!_

_Christ, the world was getting more damn confusing and less real every second. Maybe it was her emotions toying with her eyesight. Yes, that had to be it. She turned her eyes back to Superman's face and bit back yet another gasp. She was no longer staring at the face of Superman, but rather…rather at the classically handsome face of Clark Kent. _

_The only thing wrong with this picture? Clark was missing his glasses and looked exactly like, "Superman?" _

_Faintly, Clark nodded and reached up to lay a hand on her…_

"Lois!"

Lois snapped awake, her body covered in a light sheen of cold sweat. She took a deep breath of air and her eyes wildly searched around the small, closed space that was her and Richard's SUV.

"Lois, honey," Richard's calm voice said, his hand tracing the outline of her cheekbone. "You all right?"

Mutely, Lois nodded, her hands shaking. The dream had seemed so realistic. She looked down at her hands to make sure that there wasn't any blood on them.

"Christ, you scared the living shit out of me." Richard heaved a heavy sigh of relief. "You fell asleep and were fine at first, but then your eyes started to roam wildly behind your eyelids and you were talking."

"What'd I say?" Lois asked once she swallowed the lump in her throat.

Richard shrugged. "I don't know, because you were muttering it all incoherently."

There was a God, and Lois was mentally down on her knees thanking him. "Why'd you wake me up?"

"Because we're here."

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "Where?"

"At Clark's apartment."

"Oh," was all Lois said as she unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

She shook her head. "No, I've got this."

"All right. If you run into any problems, just call."

"Okay." Lois waved him off dismissively as she started toward the door that led up to Clark's apartment.

* * *

A/N: All right. Here's chapter eight. I hope you all liked it! I spent A LOT of time trying to figure out how this chapter was going to play out. And, one of the reasons that my chapter is later than normal is because I lost my electricity for two days and was without a computer and then, I was struck by a brief writer's block, which, obviously, pasted. So, you guys go work your magic and review in your insane numbers and I'll get the next chapter out to you as soon as I can.

Countess Jackman


	9. Chapter 9

Clark snapped himself awake, breathing heavily. He could hear his heart hammering within his chest and could feel the blood pumping heatedly through his veins. He was sure that if he could sweat, he would be. And badly.

He suddenly remembered his dream, or rather nightmare, and frantically looked around for Jason. Clark felt something next to him shift and his eyes flew to his side. He breathed a long sigh of relief. Jason was right beside him, sleeping soundly. He had a fistful of Clark's shirt in his hand, but other than that, he looked perfectly content.

Clark softly eased Jason's hand open and released himself from his son's vice like grip. He leaned over his legs, his elbows resting on his knees, and buried his face in his hands, his dream…no, his nightmare, replaying over in his mind. It had been so vivid. It had seemed so real.

He had been with Lois and Jason in the park, although he wasn't dressed as himself, rather Superman. Lois had been watching him pushing Jason on the metal merry-go-round thing with a content smile on her face, looking like she was on top of the world and nothing could knock her off of it because she was so happy. She had smiled fondly, lovingly, at him and he recalled the shivers it sent up his spine.

When she had been distracted, he changed into Clark, as though trying to reveal his true identity to her. Of course, Lois didn't think much of it, just kept on smiling that knowing and affectionate smile, taking a few sips of her coffee. Seeing that his plan wasn't working, he had changed back into Superman as Jason ran over to his mother, embracing her tightly.

He had been feeling queasy the whole morning, but didn't say anything, as neither Lois nor Jason seemed to notice. It was the same feeling that he got whenever kryptonite was around. A cold sweat formed around his brow, followed by the excruciating pain racking through his abdomen.

He had cast his eyes downward and his eyes widened at what he saw. Over half a piece of kryptonite was sticking out of his stomach. As Superman moved to pull it out, his hands began to shake. His fingers became covered in a warm, thick liquid crimson. He heard something snap, followed by a very familiar laugh.

"_Even Gods have weaknesses, Superman…or should I say, Clark." _

Clark shuddered as he remembered the rest of the nightmare. He had changed back into himself after Lois confessed her love for him and told him that he couldn't die, that he couldn't leave her again. The adoring hurt and hidden anger in her eyes said it all when she had seen who he really was. She had been shocked, as anyone in her place would've been, though not pleasantly shocked.

"_Why?" Lois screamed, tears of hurt and fury streaming from her eyes. "Why did you keep this from me? Huh! Why didn't you say goodbye when you left!" She hit him repeatedly on the chest with her balled fists and it hurt. _

_He could feel his lungs collapsing as he wheezed, "I did it to protect you." _

"_Protect me? From what?" Lois asked. _

"_From…everything." _

"_You're not Supe---," Lois trailed off and glared at Clark. He could see the hurt in her eyes. He could hear the hate, the anger, and the pain in her voice. And it killed him. "Why?" She pressed. "Why did you keep something this huge away from me?" _

"_I did it to protect you, because I-I loved you, Lois." Clark answered before he started coughing up blood. "I still love you." _

"_Well, I hate you." Lois replied through gritted teeth, though her shoulders shook with sobs as tears fell from her cheeks. _

"_You hate me?" Clark repeated slowly, a bit taken back by her bluntness. But, that was Lois Lane for you._

"_Yes, I hate you," sobbed Lois. "I hate you because I just realized that after all this time, I love you, and now you're leaving me…you're leaving us again." _

"_I'm sorry," Clark croaked as his eyelids became heavier and the world around him started to go hazy. _

"_Liar." Lois snapped. "You're not sorry, because if you were, you'd fight. You wouldn't succumb to death." _

_Clark gently touched Lois's cheek, some of his crimson blood staining her already red cheek. "Even heroes fall, Lois. I guess I'm falling sooner rather than later." _

"_Don't say that." Lois ordered, kissing the palm of his hand and wrapping her other hand around his. "We need you." _

_Clark turned his eyes to Jason and tried to smile, but failed miserably. "I love you." _

_Jason scooted closer to Clark and gave the reporter the tightest hug he could despite the situation. "I love you too, Daddy."_

_And that was the last thing Clark Kent ever heard as his eyes eased shut and his last breath escaped his cold, blue lips._

Clark subconsciously rubbed his stomach and sighed. "It was a dream, Kent," He whispered to himself, leaning back on the couch. "Just a stupid dream." He shifted into a comfortable position and his eyes eased closed, where he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Lois tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the elevator. Her arms were folded against her chest and she kept flipping her hair over her shoulder restlessly. Why did it seem to take this elevator so damn long to get to her? She should've just taken the stairs, but she wasn't about to climb seventeen flights of stairs while she was tipsy.

She let out an annoyed huff and shifted her weight on her feet. If she waited too much longer, she would probably let out a frustrated grunt and end up kicking something. Really, it was getting extremely aggravating waiting for the damn elevator. What if it was broken?

"Where's Superman when you need him?" Lois murmured under her breath as she let out a shaky sigh and ran a hand through her hair. As though on cue, the light above the shaft doors switched on and that annoying, tinkering bell chimed. The old, faded gold doors slowly opened and Lois was wondering if she could really trust this rickety phone booth to take her up seventeen stories.

She stepped inside anyway, only to find that it was incredibly chilly. Apparently, there was no heat in here. Lois could only imagine what it got like in the summer. She didn't even want to think of that, considering all the things that were on her mind: Superman, her son, Richard, and the mystery of how Clark knew Bruce Wayne…amongst other things.

Lois decided earlier that evening, when she was sitting by herself and nursing her third flute of champagne, that she would confront Superman the next time she saw him, whenever that would be, and tell him all about Jason. Of course, she knew that he knew that Jason was his, but she wanted to let him know that they had to establish a few rules about his visits. Some of these 'rules' were good while others weren't. She had a sneaking suspicion that Superman could care less, as long as he got to see Jason, and Lois wasn't about to deny him that right, even if he had left her for all those long years. But Richard had been there to pick up the pieces.

Richard. That was another issue that had been plaguing Lois ever since Superman returned two weeks prior. Seeing the Man of Steel again up close, flying in his arms like they used to, had brought back so many memories and ignite dormant feelings that Lois wasn't sure what she felt anymore for either. Sure, she had loved Richard at one point in time and she still loved him, but there was one man who she loved even more than Richard, and that was the father of her son, the Savior of Metropolis -- of the world.

How was she going to let Richard go? Could she even let him go after all the love they shared, after all the times he had been there for her when Superman had not? Lois wasn't so sure she was ready to give up her life with Richard yet. She was comfortable with her current situation, although things were still awkward between she and Richard.

It didn't take much to see that Lois still loved Superman, and Richard had seen it first hand on the plane. He had watched her dive into the water after him. He had seen the pained look that spread across her face when she saw that Superman had been hurt via a stab wound. He sat through their goodbye on the craft…and didn't say a thing. He had proven his love and dedication to her that day and Lois wasn't sure she wanted to hurt him. The question was, was Lois really going to give up such a good relationship with a few kinks in it for the Man of Steel? The man who had left her when she was pregnant.

_He didn't know that you were pregnant, Lois. Otherwise you know for a fact he would've stayed and been right by your side through the whole thing. Just like Clark. _

Lois sucked in a deep breath at the thought of Clark. She closed her eyes and flashes of her odd dream came back to her. Clark being Superman, now that was just ridiculous. Her mind was just playing tricks on her, trying to send her subliminal messages about Clark. Maybe her brain was trying to tell her that Jason was in trouble and needed her help, but Lois knew that Clark would never let any harm come to Jason, as the mild mannered reporter treated the small boy exactly like he would his own son.

She didn't even WANT to begin thinking about how Clark knew Bruce Wayne and, thankfully, she didn't have to. The elevator stopped after what seemed like the longest ride in the history and the bell chimed annoyingly. Lois bit back a grunt of aggravation as the doors took their sweet time opening. Had they really taken this long to open before, when she and Richard dropped Jason off, or was she just anxious to see her son? Lois didn't know, but she was glad to get out of the godforsaken box.

She stepped out into the hallway and noticed that the lights were considerably dimmer than they had been before. Maybe it was to benefit the residents? Whatever it was, it didn't matter. She had to pick up her baby and get him home. They were nearly an hour and a half late, but she knew that Clark wouldn't mind. He never minded anything when it came to Lois. It was painfully obvious that Clark had feelings for Lois and she used it to her advantage. At times, she felt horrible, but for the most part -- at least, until recently -- she never felt bad about it.

Lois stole quick glances at the numbers on the doors, making sure that she didn't pass Clark's apartment up. Sure, she had been to his old apartment before he left -- which was a small, shabby place compared to his new one --, but tonight was the first time that she had been to his new place. She had a feeling that she would be seeing a lot more of his apartment since Clark enjoyed watching Jason so much and Jason always loved spending him with the farm boy from Smallville.

When she found his apartment, she stopped in front of the door and stared at the brassy number. Hesitantly, she raised her fist and rapped her knuckles against the thick wooden door. Lois placed her hands behind her back as she waited, her foot automatically tapping. It was something that she always did when she was impatient. And even though it usually took about a few seconds for someone to get to their front door in an apartment as small as Clark's, Lois wanted the damn door to open. She was just an impatient person in general.

After two minutes, Lois knocked again, only this time a bit more hurriedly. What if something happened to them? Suddenly, Lois found herself pounding her fists onto the door, calling out Clark's name. If he let anything happen to her baby boy, oh, she was going to slaughter him and send his ass all the way to the distant remains of Krypton!

"Clark!" She called, banging on the door. "Clark, it's me! Open the door!"

Still, she got nothing. With a roll of her eyes and a nervous flop of her stomach, Lois sighed in annoyance and leaned against the wall. She knew that Clark would never let any harm come to Jason, but she just needed to see his smiling face and bright blue eyes for reassurance.

"Think, Lane, think!" Lois told herself as she began pacing in front of the door. Maybe they went somewhere? Nah, it was nearly two in the morning. Clark wouldn't have taken Jason anywhere and, besides, what places were open at two in the morning aside from some sleazy strip joints? Lois laughed at the thought of Clark in a strip club. Oh, that would be the day.

Suddenly, an idea came into her mind and Lois smacked herself on the forehead. Why hadn't she thought of it earlier! She hoped that Clark was as big of a small town boy as she made him out to be because, if he wasn't, she was going to kick his ass. Lois bent down and lifted up the doormat. Her eyes lit up and she looked heavenward. "If there's a god in those high heavens, I'm thanking you right now."

Lois picked up the small golden key and stood up slowly, so she wouldn't get lightheaded. Hell, she was dizzy enough as it was. She pressed her forehead to the door for a few moments to stop her head from spinning before she inserted the key into the lock and turned it. She could hear the faint click on the lock freeing from the slot and she softly pushed the door open.

"Clark?" She said, looking around the dark apartment. There was a blue light coming from the living room and Lois furrowed her brow. They must've been in there. She closed the door behind her and slowly walked into the apartment. She could hear the faint sound of static and knew before she even stepped foot into the living room that they had fallen asleep in front of the television.

A small smile tugged at her lips as she walked into the living room. The sight before her was the type you only saw in the movies. Her little boy, her Jason, was curled up next to Clark, his arm was strewn across Clark's chest, and his head was resting there as well. Clark had a protective arm around Jason, his cheek pressed against Jason's messy head of hair and, for some odd reason, it pulled at her heart strings.

"Clark?" Lois whispered, hoping not to wake Jason up, as he was a light sleeper the majority of the time. Neither showed signs of moving and slept on. Lois rolled her eyes and walked over to the television set, turning it off. The apartment fell into a stiff silence, the only noise behind Jason's faint snores. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at them for a while. They were really a sight to see. They both looked so peaceful.

After a few moments of gazing at the snoozing pair, Lois noticed something odd, yet she couldn't place her finger on it. There was something that just wasn't right with this picture. But…what was it? Lois rolled her eyes at herself and walked over to the couch. She managed to get Jason out of Clark's oddly tight, yet relaxed, grip on the small boy and held her son in her arms. His head rested on her shoulder and she could feel his tiny heart beating against her chest. With a small smirk, she shook Clark's shoulder and said his name in a low voice.

Clark stirred and let out a grunt, shifting his position on the couch. He stiffened in his sleep suddenly and Lois furrowed her brow. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Clark snapped awake and sat up. "Jas-."

"Jesus Clark!" Lois squeaked, taking a breath of air. "You scared the living shit out of me."

"Oh, sorry Lois," Clark replied sheepishly. "I just thought that something happened to Jason." He pushed himself up off the couch and yawned. "What time is it, anyway? And why is it so dark in here?"

"It's a little before two and that's because I turned off the television before I woke you up. I didn't think it was necessary to have a light on, as that often hurts the eyes when one wakes up." She said with a smile. She wasn't sure if Clark smiled back or not, but she knew that he most likely did.

"A little before two, eh?" Clark must've yawned again, as it was hard to understand what he said. She could hear his footsteps against the hardwood floor and could faintly see his profile moving over to a light switch. "You said that you would be here by midnight."

Lois bit her lip shamefully and sighed. "I know we did, Clark, and I'm really sorry that we didn't keep our word. It's just that --."

"Lois," Clark interrupted with a chuckle. "I was joking. Even Smallville here can make a joke sometimes, contrary to popular belief."

It was needless to say that she was surprised by Clark's somewhat odd behavior. She had never seen him be this…well, relaxed, around her before. Usually, he was fidgety and nervous. Maybe spending time with Jason had helped him come out of his shell? Or perhaps this was just how he acted when he woke up.

Lois chuckled. "Ha ha, very funny. But seriously, Clark, I really am sorry."

"It's no big deal, Lois." Clark said before she heard what sounded like a painful thunk.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Clark said, "Just hit my knee on the coffee table. But, anyway, as I was saying, it's my pleasure spending time with Jason. We had a lot of fun. Watched a few episodes of Will and Grace. From what he tells me, it's your favorite show."

She laughed. "Yeah, well, everyone has their guilty pleasures and that show happens to one of them." Lois shifted the dead weight that was her son in her arms so they wouldn't go limp and sighed. "How much do I owe you?"

"Nonsense, Lois," Clark responded, finally reaching the lamp and switching it on. He turned his head to Lois and smiled. "You don't owe me an---what's wrong, Lois?"

Lois couldn't believe the sight before her. Could it really have been true? Had her dream been correct? Was Clark Kent really Superman? She could feel the blood draining from her face and her arms that held her son so tightly were shaking, as were her legs. "Y-y-your…"

"My what?" Clark asked, brow wrinkled in confusion. "Lois, what's wrong?" He pressed, his voice filled with concern.

So this was the missing piece of the puzzle. Without that simple disguise, he was no longer Clark Kent, nor was he Superman. He was Kal-El. Lois blinked a few times and dry swallowed, her throat suddenly starting to close up and her limbs trembled in both anger and hurt. He had lied to her for all those long years. He had deceived her. What an asshole.

"Lois?"

"We've got to go," Lois said monotonously, her face impassive as her insides brewed with fury.

"Are you sure you're-."

"Clark!" Lois interrupted waspishly. "Just shut the hell up! Okay? We've leaving." She stalked over to the door a little more angrily then she planned on it, her footsteps so laden with anger, the thin heels of her shoes nearly snapped in two. She opened the door and slammed it as she exited, the door shaking in it's frame, leaving a dumbfounded Clark Kent standing in the center of his apartment, trying to figure out what just happened.

* * *

Her anger, her hurt, his deception. It was blinding her. She could barely see straight as she stormed down the hallway and to that god forsaken elevator. She could feel Jason stirring in her arms and knew she was probably squeezing the life at the poor boy. The elevator doors dinger and opened, allowing Lois to step inside.

She wouldn't think about this. Not now. She would push it the back of her mind. She had more important things to take care of. Such as her son and the whole issue with Richard. Those problems needed to be resolved before she tackled the whole issue of Clark being Superman. And she might not even be right. Maybe they just bore a striking resemblance to one another and she was freaking out for no reason.

Yes. That was what it was. They looked alike. A lot alike. That's all.

Lois took a deep breath as the doors closed and carried her down to the main floor.

She quickly left the building, walking at an extremely fast pace toward the car. She didn't listen to Richard's questions as she put Jason in the back seat and slid in next to her son, holding him in a protective embrace. She didn't noticed when they started driving away from the complex. Hell, she didn't even realize she was crying until Richard said something.

Damn Clark Kent.

* * *

Clark stood flabbergasted in the middle of his apartment, not sure what had just happened. He had thought that things were going great between him and Lois. From the way their conversation had been going, he could've sworn that she was flirting with him a bit. And then, she just flipped out. He hadn't done anything wrong. Or…at least, he didn't think he did anything wrong.

He sighed heavily as he flung himself down on the couch and rested his elbows on his knees. Sometimes, he just didn't get women. One minute, they were completely happy, flirting with you and smiling like maniacs, and then, they totally freak out. And they always blamed the male. Why did they always blame the male? Couldn't the woman ever be at fault?

And what did he do anyway? He had just been chatting with her and, maybe, flirting back with her, only because she started it. Clark realized how juvenile that sounded, but it was true.

He released another heavy breath and pushed his hands through his hair. Would she be angry at him tomorrow? Maybe she had just been drinking a bit too much. He had never been around her when she was drunk, but that could just be something she normally did. Maybe she was one of those drunks that had mood swings at the worst times. Yeah, that was it.

Clark rubbed his face tiredly and yawned.

His body stiffened.

He swore under his breath like a sailor.

He touched the bridge of his nose.

He felt around his eyes.

He checked his ears.

He could feel the world closing in around him.

A horrible feeling of dread knotted up his stomach.

He was nauseous; he felt the bile rise in his throat.

This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not when everything was going so well.

Like a stupid idiot, he had forgotten the most important thing to Clark Kent.

He had forgotten his glasses.

_Oh shit.

* * *

_

A/N: And that's all she wrote folks! Yes, as sad as I am to say, this fic is complete. The second one out of my 15 or so stories that has finally come to a close. But, never fear, there shall be a sequel. I promise and it'll be up by next Wednesday. I'm sorry this chapter SUCKED so badly, but it's the longest one and, quite frankly, the most important, or, at least, one of the more important ones. Please review like always and, maybe, if you haven't reviewed before but have been reading since the start, you could drop one? Well, I love you all and I shall see you VERY shortly!

Kisses!

Countess Jackman

P.S. Look out for the sequel entitled "Conquering Emotions". You won't want to miss it.


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